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ALASKA, OHIO, INDIA, NORTH CAROLINA,LOUISIANA, PENNSYLVANIA,TEXAS,THE VIRGIN ISL
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cemeterygen-@yahoo.com
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Feb 19, 2009 10:47 PST
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ALASKA, OHIO, INDIA, NORTH CAROLINA,LOUISIANA, PENNSYLVANIA,TEXAS,THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
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FEBRUARY 19, 2009
CEMETERY GENEALOGY NEWS
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ALASKA
Veterans cemetery becomes hot topic for Fairbanks legislators
http://newsminer.com/news/2009/feb/11/veterans-cemetery-becomes-hot-topic-fairbanks-legi/
By Rena Delbridge
Published Wednesday, February 11, 2009
JUNEAU — As a young veteran returning from two tours in Vietnam with the Army’s 173rd Airborne, Joe Fields and fellow soldiers wondered where in Fairbanks they might find a final resting place.
Although home to two national veterans’ cemeteries in Sitka and at Fort Richardson, Alaska had no sacred ground in the Interior where men and women who fight for the U.S. can be buried with full military rites.
The question was tabled for a while, but rose again in recent years as vets aged and the prospect of final wishes and wills grew more real.
“You don’t think about it when you’re young,” said Fields, a helicopter recovery crew chief in Vietnam. “As you age, you start to take stock; time catches up with all of us. There is the desire to give veterans the status owed them for their service for the country.”
He testified Tuesday in support of a bill that would create a state veterans cemetery in Fairbanks, funded with proceeds from special veterans license plates, grants and gifts, and some state money as needed.
Senate Bill 45 is co-sponsored by Sens. Gene Therriault, R-North Pole, and Charlie Huggins, R-Mat-Su.
As national veterans cemeteries fill with those who fought wars long past, states are increasingly creating their own hallowed ground. With a commitment by the state to maintain the cemeteries and to provide land, the federal government will build them — an action worth about $7 million. The state estimated annual operating costs to be about $250,000.
But the state first has to chip in about $750,000, according to the bill’s sponsors.
Gov. Sarah Palin included an initial $250,000 in her fiscal year 2010 budget proposal toward the creation of a state veterans cemetery in Fairbanks.
It’s the ideal location, some say, central to a number of smaller communities and home to the second-densest population of veterans in a state with more vets per capita than any other — totaling about 100,000, Therriault testified.
He estimated Fairbanks is home to 11,000 veterans. The U.S. Veterans Administration estimated that 15,000 veterans will pass away in the next 10 years nationally, and about half are expected to want a final resting place in a veterans cemetery.
“The demand for these spots is growing across the nation, and certainly here in the state,” Therriault said.
Fairbanks is the only area of the state that qualifies for a veterans cemetery under federal guidelines calling for one within 75 miles of a certain population of vets, said McHugh Pierre, legislative liaison for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
“It barely qualifies,” he said. “They (the federal government) realize Alaska is an exception. They’re willing to work with us to make this cemetery a reality.”
The issue has been a priority for Rep. David Guttenberg, D-Fairbanks, for several years. He had asked Palin to include the $250,000 in the budget, and has a framed letter from her in his office stating her commitment to see the cemetery plans through.
He’s introduced legislation creating the cemetery before, but the bill died in the Senate. This year he introduced House Bill 97, which has been referred to the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.
Before the session started, his office wrote a grant to gain federal approval. But the grant is in the hands of Palin’s administration, where it simply sits, Guttenberg said. He can’t figure out why it hasn’t been submitted, and his frustration is growing.
He said neither Huggins nor Therriault consulted him on the bill. A similar bill also been filed by Sen. Joe Thomas, D-Fairbanks. Therriault and Sen. Joe Paskvan, D-Fairbanks, are among the cosponsors. Therriault said that bill, SB 55, has a later number and may not get introduced.
Guttenberg said it’s unfortunate the plans have become politicized, but that all that really matters is that the cemetery is realized.
“There are so many vets in Fairbanks,” he said. “They want to be buried on sacred ground, close to home. I just want to see it get done. It matters to people.”
He wants the choice for his own father, Joe Guttenberg, a combat infantryman in Europe in World War II.
The Senate bill allows the state to set aside money from special license plates and gifts to a dedicated account. Also included is a clarification of the language in a veterans’ hiring preference for national parks jobs.
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FROM URL IN
CANADA
http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/travel/story.html?id=988027
World's 10 best places of final rest
Reuters
Friday, October 31, 2008
SINGAPORE - Above ground, or six feet under, "Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009" guide lists the world's top 10 cemeteries, which are prime spots for both the living and the dead. Reuters has not endorsed this list.
1. Taj Mahal, India
The Taj Mahal in Agra is surely the world's most beautiful place in which to push up daisies. The 17th century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the mausoleum in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, using white marble from Rajathan, crystal from China, turquoise from Tibet and sapphire from Sri Lanka.
2. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
These pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo may date back to around 3,200 B.C. but they're as space age as tombs get. They pierce the sky, unperturbed by crowds of hustlers, camels and camcorder-toting tourists. An estimated 20,000-30,000 workers built the pyramids, the largest of which is constructed from over two million blocks.
3. Dogon Tombs, Mali
A craggy mass rears up from the sun-bleached plan, one of West Africa's most stunning sights. This is where the remote Dogon tribe lives. Most extraordinary in this extraordinary place are the tombs. These are tiny buildings set into cliffs, often halfway up, with no discernible method of approach.
4. The Non-Catholic Cemetery, Italy
This overgrown garden is a surprise in a busy corner of Rome. Romantic poets Keats, who died at the unripe age of 26, and Shelley are buried here. The garden is dominated by a sharp-tipped pyramid: the fanciful tomb of a Roman general with a penchant for Egyptology.
5. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, United States
These immaculate lawns and stately memorials are the final picture for much of Hollywood royalty. The glamorous graves at the back of Paramount studios are a veritable Milky Way of departed glitterati, including Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks and Mel Blancs, the voice of Bugs Bunny whose tombstone reads: "That's all folks."
6. The Catacombs of Rome, Italy
Ancient Roman law forbade burial within Rome city limits. Most Romans were cremated, but early Christians were buried in a series of endless, echoing underground tunnels, out near the old Roman road, the Via Appia. This underground death complex is Rome's most haunting sight - now empty of bodies but retaining early Christian frescoes, altars and icons.
7. Pere Lachaise Cemetery, France
The world's most visited cemetery has a star-studded afterlife gathering, with residents as diverse as Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Honore de Balzac and Isadora Duncan. It was founded in 1804, but languished until the management had the bright marketing plan of moving here the remains of famous people, such as Moliere, to attract business.
8. Tomb of Pacal, Mexico
In the foothills of the Chiapas mountains, lie the remains of the ancient Mayan city of Palenque, set in a tangle of jungle. it's a place of cinematic splendor, complete with rolling mist and thick undergrowth. The city's most famous monument is the Tomb of Pacal (Pacal was the city's 7th century founder-king), which is located within the glorious Temple of Inscriptions, a steep, stepped pyramid.
9. Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, United States
In 1896, Dr. Samuel Johnson, a vet, offered his apple orchard to a bereaved friend as the burial place for his dog. Today, Hartsdale, in New York, has 70,000 graves, including those of some famous war dogs, and a memorial to the Red Cross dogs that served during World War Two. Famous owners who have interred their pooches include Mariah Carey and Diana Ross.
10. The City of the Dead, Egypt
This is the most curious cemetery in the world: not only a city of the dead, but of the living. Chronic housing shortages in Cairo have driven families to live in tombs in the large cemeteries on the city's outskirts. Traditionally, Egyptians buried their dead surrounded by rooms, so that relatives could live in them during the long mourning period. These are now occupied by squatters who use the gravestones as tables.
© Canwest News Service 2008
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LOUISIANA
Funeral Homes, Cemeteries Ask All to 'Plan to Live'
http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20090212/bs_prweb/prweb2042764/print
Thu Feb 12, 3:25 pm ET
Giveaway helps dream come true
New Orleans, LA (Vocus) February 12, 2009 -- Yes, that's right. Hundreds of funeral homes and cemeteries - the professionals who deal with death every day - are encouraging people to Plan to Live. Life is short, and one way to make it more enjoyable is to plan for the future now. To help spread that message, Simplicity Plan® providers across the country are asking this question: "Life is short. What would make yours sweeter?"
Anyone who answers and shares his or her special dream of a lifetime, whether it's climbing Mount Everest, seeing the Seven Wonders of the World or going to a Super Bowl, will have the chance to win the one, overall grand prize of $10,000 to help make that dream come true. Also, this nationwide giveaway offers 225 additional prizes, all thanks to the innovative Plan to Live Giveaway.
Here's how it works:
- From Nov. 3, 2008, to March 31, 2009, the public can enter the giveaway two ways:
1. Visit any funeral home or cemetery that is a Simplicity Plan® provider and fill in and submit a printed entry form.
2. Visit www.PlanToLiveGiveaway.com and enter online.
- Plan to Live Giveaway Prizes include:
o Grand Prize - One Grand-Prize winner will receive $10,000 to help grant his or her dream of a lifetime.
o Second Prize - 50 winners will win Simplicity Plan memberships.
o Third Prize - 75 winners will get a DVD of The Bucket List movie, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
o Fourth Prize - 100 winners will receive the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz.
No purchase is necessary to enter, and the giveaway is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age. Official rules are available at www.PlanToLiveGiveaway.com. Prize drawings will be held Thurs., April 30, 2009.
Backed by a national network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers, Simplicity Plan® is a complete final needs program that offers the tools, information and resources individuals need to organize, document and store personal end-of-life decisions. It is a registered trademark of Stewart Enterprises, Inc., which currently owns and operates 221 funeral homes and 140 cemeteries in the United States and Puerto Rico and is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol STEI.
###
Stewart Enterprises, Inc.
Denise Westerfield
504-729-1959
E-mail Information
Trackback URL: http://prweb.com/pingpr.php/U3VtbS1UaGlyLUhvcnItQ291cC1Qcm9mLVNpbmctWmVybw=---------------------------------------------
TEXAS
Writing An Obituary
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/875/story/401546.html#
January 26, 2009 - 12:00 a.m.
Have you ever composed an obituary? If not, your time will come sooner or later. Will you be able to write an accurate obituary? Will your family be able to write an accurate obituary for you? Not long ago, a friend whose father was in the hospital with a terminal illness had made all the final arrangements but had not written his obituary. She began to list what she knew such as his birth and marriage dates, children and events during her father's life. Several days later she showed it to him only to discover she had left out many organizations he belonged to and offices he held that were very important to him.
Linda Ellis composed the world-famous poem, The Dash, which refers to the mark on a cemetery headstone between the birth and death dates:
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
How about you? Have you thought about writing your own obituary? Will your family be struggling to put together details when the time comes? Will they know what was most important to you during your life, during your "dash?"
Genealogists and family historians consider vital records of birth, marriage, and death as extremely important and base their research on these three key elements. However, flesh needs to be added to those dates and more needs to be discovered about the lives of our family members and ancestors.
As you compose an obituary, please consider including the cause of death. This becomes very important as years pass and future generations refer to their ancestors and want to know more about the lives of those who have gone on before them. When working through a person's life, events occurring at the time of birth and marriage are intriguing and to discover an obituary for an ancestor is an absolute delight, sort of a final closure for that person. If the obituary includes the cause of death, genealogists and family historians consider it as important as discovering a gold nugget in the research files.
Why is the cause of death so important in documenting a person's life? Think of your last visit to a medical doctor. Remember the forms you filled out and the questions asked about diseases and causes of death in your family? Now, with the heightened popularity of using DNA samples to trace family lineages, knowledge of the cause of death is more important than ever in family histories and pedigree files. If heart disease, cancer, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, emphysema, diabetes, Alzheimer's, hemophilia, Huntington's, Tay-Sachs, sickle cell anemia, and on and on, are found in a person's ancestral line, it behooves your descendants to have this information, especially young couples planning to have children.
Obituaries are not only a tribute and account of a person's life, they are community historical records. Community journalism is one of the most important contributions newspapers make and obituaries become an important record of the community culture. My father-in-law, O.D. Jones, passed away last week and as we noted in the obituary, he suffered from congestive heart failure. It was important to include this information for his descendants in years to come.
When my mother passed away in March 2002, my second paragraph stated, "Mother suffered from respiratory problems for years and this eventually caused her demise."
Had I known the importance of including this information, when my dad passed away in 1970, I would have asked that his obituary list cardiac arrest as the cause of death.
In years to come, the descendants of Jack and Willie Mae Bean Everman would know that the Evermans had a history of heart problems and the Beans, respiratory illnesses.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the Bible states, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die."
An obituary should be an account of a loved one with "a prudent attitude toward life," allowing us to get a glimpse of the person who was born, lived, and died and the important events in the "dash."
When composing an obituary, make it a complete biographical sketch of the deceased, a document that will increase in importance as generations succeed generations.
Happy researching.
Send e-mail genealogy queries to mjo-@vicad.com or mail query, with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply to: Relatively Speaking, c/o Victoria Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77902. VCGS members will research queries requiring extensive study.
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PENNSYLVANIA
Abandoned cemeteries raise concern
http://www.thecourierexpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20259695&BRD=2758&PAG=461&dept_id=572984&rfi=6
02/11/2009
Abandoned cemeteries are causing concern for one municipality in Clearfield County.
Decatur Township Supervisors' Chairman Andy Rebar attended the Clearfield County Commissioners meeting Tuesday to discuss the growing problem of abandoned cemeteries and who should be responsible for them. He said there are three in Decatur Township.
Rebar said there was an accident recently at one cemetery involving a 13-year-old girl. He said the girl hurt her leg and, although she is getting better, the township is waiting to see if there will be some type of legal action.
Commissioner John Sobel said in the early 1980s there was a volunteer organization started by John Whitehouse called the Clearfield County Cemetery Association. He said the organization was non-profit and had nothing to do with the county. He said he was the solicitor.
"It was a volunteer group of individuals," he said. Sobel said the group fell apart in the 1990s when Whitehead retired.
Rebar said something needs to be done about the cemeteries. He said many municipalities in the county have them and they are becoming a liability.
Sobel had two suggestions.
First, he said, the Township Code has a provision that allows supervisors to direct the owner to clean up the abandoned property.
"The board can also do it themselves and efforts can be made to collect payment," Sobel said.
"Or we could try to start up another county cemetery association," Sobel said. "While the other association was in existence, it did a lot to clean up the cemeteries, especially the ones that had graves with veterans."
Sobel said the county is willing to help start another association.
Commissioner Mark McCracken agreed.
"If we could get the association formed first, there is other help available," he said. "We could use state and county inmates to help with cleanup."
Rebar said something has to be done because, "this is becoming a tremendous liability for municipalities throughout the county."
©Courier-Express/Tri-County 2009
Courier-Express, 500 Jeffers St., P.O. Box 407, DuBois, PA 15801.
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The Virgin Islands
Grave mistake
For years, a family has struggled to discover how and why someone else's vault and body were placed over their mother's grave
http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17633081
By ALDETH LEWIN
Tuesday, February 10th 2009
ST. THOMAS - When Hazel Henry-Heywood went to visit her mother's grave in 1996, it was nowhere to be found.
Her mother, Violet Henry, died April 21, 1989, and was buried in Western Cemetery on May 3 of that year.
Upset, Henry-Heywood called her family members, many of whom live in the states. Her eight siblings were at a loss as well, so the family turned to the Department of Public Works for help.
Public Works oversees all burials and cemeteries, both private and public, in the territory.
For two years, the family called Public Works on a number of occasions trying to figure out what happened to their mother. In 1998, the family obtained the original burial permit from the department, which clearly stated the plot number and location of their mother at Western Cemetery. They then had a Public Works employee meet them at the cemetery to show them the exact spot. When they found the gravesite, the problem became clear.
Someone else had been buried on top of their mother.
Instead of their mother's bare site, there was a cream-colored concrete vault with purple trim bearing another woman's name - Roszelle Daniel-Todman.
Shocked and angry, the family turned to Public Works for answers and a solution. They were met with silence for many years.
"Nobody could tell us how this happened," Henry-Heywood said.
Henry-Heywood and her siblings spent the next seven years calling Public Works every few months to check up on their mother's situation, but their efforts brought no results.
In 2005, Violet's surviving husband, Alexander Henry, was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm.
Violet Henry had asked to be buried in the ground as opposed to an above-ground concrete tomb, her daughter said. The plan was always for Alexander Henry to be buried in a vault on top of his wife.
When he was diagnosed with the disease, the family began to push Public Works harder to resolve the problem before their father died.
Yet, still nothing was done, and when he died in 2007, Alexander Henry - a retired Public Works employee - was given another plot elsewhere in Western Cemetery.
In June 2008, some of the Henry siblings met with Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls, who had become head of the department in 2007. Henry-Heywood said he told them he needed to investigate the matter, contact the family of Roszelle Daniel-Todman and then he would get back to them.
The Henry family continued to call every month, but received no response, according to Henry-Heywood.
"I met with the family and we have to contact the other family to come to a resolution," Smalls told The Daily News.
Smalls said the department is considering moving Roszelle Daniel-Todman - the woman buried on top of Violet Henry - to another plot, but must first locate the other woman's family to obtain permission.
Smalls said the department has been unable to locate any family members.
After checking the newspaper's archives for published obituaries and then calling numbers in the telephone book, The Daily News was able to locate Daniel-Todman's widower and his two sister - all of whom still live on St. Thomas.
Austin Todman was sick and in the hospital when his wife, Roszelle, passed away in November 1996, and all burial arrangements were left to his inlaws.
His wife was a native of Antigua, and her family came to St. Thomas only long enough to lay her to rest in Western Cemetery.
When a Daily News reporter contacted Austin Todman, explained the situation and told him that his wife may have to be moved, he accepted the news graciously.
"I do not mind," said Austin Todman. "They do what ever they have to do."
Austin Todman said he has never been contacted by Public Works.
Plots in the public cemeteries sell for $20, which is paid to Public Works. There is an additional $11 construction permit that also is paid to the department. The cost of construction for a vault or crypt is paid by the family directly to a contractor.
When someone is buried in a public cemetery in the Virgin Islands, the plot is guaranteed for only 20 years. After that, the family can renew the permit at a cost of $1 per year for as long as they wish. For example, $100 will buy 100 years.
If the permit is not renewed, the plot can be resold and another vault may be placed on top of the original. In Western Cemetery - which is full - concrete vaults can be stacked to a maximum of three high.
When a plot is set to expire, Public Works tries to contact the permit holder to inform them, Public Works Coordinator of Cemeteries Tanyacleone Creque Hodge said.
In the Henry family's case, their mother had been in her plot for only seven years before it was mistakenly sold to another family. The Henry family was never contacted.
"Every time we go to visit our mother, we're visiting Ms. Roszelle Daniel-Todman," Henry-Heywood said. "We just want justice."
Public Works will have to work with the Department of Justice to handle any legal issues that may arise over the matter and the Department of Health, which must be involved any time human remains are moved, Smalls said.
Smalls could not be reached for additional comments after The Daily News spoke to Austin Todman.
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NORTH CAROLINA
Dispute over slave cemetery
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1401641.html
Dispute over slave cemetery resumes
School opponents cite new evidence
T. Keung Hui - Staff Writer
Published: Wed, Feb. 11, 2009 12:30AM
Modified Wed, Feb. 11, 2009 05:36AM
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Accusations are flying about a potential slave cemetery on the site of what's supposed to become a new high school for northeastern Wake County.
Neighbors accuse the school system of wanting to build regardless of the moral issues involved. A consultant who examined the cemetery for the school system says neighbors are using the graves as political leverage to block the school.
"They say they don't want us to trespass," said Angie McCarty, one of the neighbors fighting the school. "They don't want us to go back there and find more graves so they can blow them up."
RELATED LINKS:
http://www.savetheslaves.com/
http://www.wcpss.net/facilities/information/H6_CemeteryReport.pdf
The issue will be raised again at 7 p.m. Thursday at Millbrook Exchange Park in Raleigh when school officials present plans to the Northeast Raleigh Citizens Advsory Council.
The unnamed high school, called H6 for now, would be built on Forestville Road near U.S. 401. It's less than three miles on Forestville Road from the new Heritage High School in Wake Forest.
Last month, Wake school leaders thought they had resolved the issue when they released a report indicating there was no evidence that slaves were buried there.
The $9,969 report from the Chicora Foundation, a South Carolina preservation group, said that "Euro-American individuals" were probably buried there.
H6 and Heritage will officially open in 2010. They'll share Heritage's building for a year.
Wake hopes to have the campus for H6 ready in 2011. Plans call for fencing off and preserving the cemetery. But there's still a chance the project may be delayed by recession-driven budget cuts.
On Tuesday, residents fighting the unnamed school say Chicora missed records showing the site was owned at least as early as 1875 by Peterson Dunn, who operated a large plantation with slaves. They point out that Chicora said they were on a "tight schedule" mandated by the school board.
Michael Trinkley, director of the Chicora Foundation, said they never received the property information that was promised them by a local historian. Even if the property can be traced to Dunn, Trinkley said, it doesn't prove the bodies buried there were slaves.
But McCarty and Debbie Vair, another neighbor leading the fight against the school, said Chicora overlooked faint markings on headstones that they say show African or Native American faces. They also say several headstones are located in other potential cemeteries on the site that won't be saved.
"We started out over the traffic issues, but there's so much that needs to be investigated before they move forward," McCarty said.
Trinkley isn't convinced. He said he didn't see any tracings on the stones.
"I'd have more empathy for them if they wanted to preserve history," Trinkley said. "But they just don't want that school."
Neighbors admit they're still concerned about traffic from two high schools so close together on Forestville Road. But they say they also care about preserving history.
They propose that H6 be scrapped in favor of an equine rehabilitation center, dog park and memorial to the cemetery.
But Rosa Gill, chairwoman of the school board, said they need to build the school to deal with growth in northeastern Wake.
"We need that school," Gill said. "We're not giving it to a dog park."
keung-@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4534
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TEXAS
City seeking $5 million for infrastructure
Posted: Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009 - 03:16:21 pm CST
by Margaret Palermo - Staff writer
http://www.uvaldeleadernews.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/news1.txt
During a regular meeting Tuesday night at City Hall, City Council approved publication of a Notice of Intention to issue Certificates of Obligation in the amount of $5 million for the purpose of tackling some much-needed repairs, renovations and construction.
If you approve this notice, we will publicize two weeks in a row, giving citizens notice that you intend to do this, Mark McLiney of Southwest Securities Inc. of San Antonio said. Then March 24, we will be back here to authorize the sale. He said the increase in city property taxes to pay for the CDs would amount to about 8 cents per $100 valuation.
Projects McLiney mentioned included curbs and gutters, sidewalks, streets, the Willie de Leon Civic Center, renovations at the Uvalde Sports Complex on Garner Field Road, drainage improvement and purchasing land relating to construction.
This is just the letter of intent, said Mayor Cody Smith. I know any increase affects a lot of our citizens. Parts of town that have been neglected are going to be taken care of.
Upon returning from an executive session, the council approved sale of the Uvalde Fairgrounds property for $486,000. The city had been in negotiations with Uvalde County to exchange the fairgrounds property for the county's downtown jail property, but the exchange proved to be a problem due to the difference in appraised values of the two properties with the jail property estimated at $1.5 million.
The council also approved addition of a detective position at the police department. Joe Cardenas, finance director and assistant city manager, said the position is unbudgeted but that there are two vacancies at the department that will make up some of the difference. We are looking at about $47,000, he said. Right now, the police department has funds to absorb and fund the new position.
The council also approved a correction to Section 15.28.080 of the Uvalde Municipal Code to allow up to 180 days to bring a property up to code. The correction was intended to make all parts in the section agree with each other.
*
Public Works Director Joe Jarosek presented the council with proposed guidelines for the city's cemeteries. The guidelines cover the types of floral arrangements that can be used and place limits on how long the arrangements may be there.
Local citizen Chris Mendeke said she has received many calls from people worried that the proposed guidelines would not take Hispanic culture into account and suggested that the council set up a cemetery board to address citizens' concerns.
Smith said a board would be set up.
Economic Development Director Tom Austin and Councilman John Yeackle both talked about property-tax abatement and economic stimulus for the downtown area hardest hit by the U.S. Highway 83-Getty Street project.
Austin said one topic put forward was limiting downtown zoning to restaurants and retail stores only. He said he has gotten information about what other communities have been doing to encourage investment in downtown businesses.
Harrell also addressed the water coalition and opposition to a pipeline taking water from the Uvalde area and sending it to the San Antonio metropolitan area.
He said a study by Texas A&M University said the impact on Uvalde County if irrigation water were removed could be as much as $44.1 million and could affect approximately 600 fulltime employees.
In addition, he said, an impact of $22.8 million could be realized by businesses and employees who indirectly benefit from farming, such as crop dusters, packing sheds, water wells, pumps, irrigation equipment and other support businesses.
He said resolutions opposing a pipeline have been passed by Uvalde, Uvalde County, Del Rio, Val Verde County, Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Zavala County, the Winter Garden Groundwater Conservation District, Brackettville, Dimmitt County, Crystal City, Uvalde Area Development Foundation and Devine. Other cities and counties are expected to take action soon.
On-line publication, Copyright © 2009, The Uvalde Leader-News.
The Uvalde Leader-News / 110 No. East St. / Uvalde, Tx 78802-0740 / 830-278-3335 / 830-278-9191 (fax)
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INDIA
Cross saved from demolition
Linah Baliga
Friday, February 13, 2009 2:31 IST
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1230328
Mumbai: A crisis was averted on Thursday when Christians from Bandra gathered to save a heritage cross from being demolished near Bandra Talao by a BMC official, who allegedly wanted to appease a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) builder.
The 150-year-old cross, managed by Shiv Sena, was being demolished by N Kumbhare, executive engineer, BMC, to give a setback to the builder for a garden.
The base of the crucifix was damaged and the statue of Christ atop it cracked at the centre. When local MLA Baba Siddique and MP Priya Dutt reached the spot, Christians gathered there demanded action againstKumbhare.
"There's no option other than suspending Kumbhare who tried to demolish our cross without informing his seniors. First, our Hill Road cemeteries and crosses were targeted, next it will be church grounds," said Anil Joseph, a Bandra resident.
When Dutt questioned assistant municipal commissioner SR Murgunkar about the incident, he said no orders were issued by him to demolish the cross. "Kumbhare wanted to demolish the cross to give a setback to an SRA builder for a garden. But I
hadn't given any orders for the demolition," Murgunkar said. "This could have created a law and order problem," said Dutt.
"We have asked Murgunkar to suspend the official, or we will begin an agitation," said Daphne Warapen, a Bandra resident.
Activist Nicholas Almeida said, "We will file a contempt petition. There is a stay from the high court for 40 crosses in Bandra. The status quo should be maintained till the case is disposed of."
Prakash George, senior police inspector, Bandra police station, said, "A complaint has been filed against Kumbhare. But we were told that the BCM official was only shifting the cross from one place to another and had no plans to demolish it."
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OHIO
Sale of Hudson pet cemetery on hold
Posted By: Dick Russ Updated: 2/15/2009 5:58:09 AM Posted: 2/12/2009 5:27:37 PM
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_links/links_article.aspx?storyid=107209&catid=15
HUDSON -- The owner of a pet cemetery in Hudson says he will not sell it with the rest of his land, but needs help to preserve and maintain it.
Duane Glass says he will continue to operate and maintain the Boston Hills Pet Memorial Park as best he can, but is looking for a suitable person or group to take it over and run it someday.
The future of the cemetery was cast into doubt several weeks ago when Glass put his property up for auction. His 23 acres in Hudson included the 3 1/2 acre pet cemetery. But Glass says any future sale of the land will not include the cemetery.
"I am open to anyone who wants to step up and take the cemetery over, or offers to buy the whole place," Glass wrote to Channel 3's Dick Russ in an email. He did not want to be interviewed in person or on camera.
Concerned pet owners were relieved that the cemetery land won't be included in any future sale of the property, but are still concerned about what they call the deteriorating condition of the cemetery and its uncertain future..
"I don't care what he does with the rest of the property," says Carol Westfall of Valley View, who has nine dogs buried at Boston Hills at a cost of well over $20,000, "but leave the road, leave the building, and leave the parking for the people that have animals here so they can come in and out."
The potential sub-dividing of the property is point of contention among Glass, the pet owners, and the City of Hudson. Pet owners want any parceling of the land to include parking, access, and maintenance buildings. So does the city.
"We don't have to split down the middle of the gentleman's home," says Bob Cultrona of Mentor who buried his Old English sheepdog Abby there in 2005. "We understand he's under a financial hardship."
Cultrona, Westfall, and more than 200 other people who have pets buried at Boston Hills will meet on February 27 to discuss potential solutions. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Valley View Community Center.
Glass, who was originally going to attend the meeting, has changed his mind, he says, "due to all the negative and incorrect information cast on the cemetery and myself."
As for Glass' offer that the City of Hudson take over the pet cemetery, Hudson Communications Manager Jody Roberts tells Channel 3 News it would not be financially possible.
"There's maintenance issues and all kinds of things we'd have to take over from a taxpayers point of view," explains Roberts, "and we weren't interested."
The city is keeping an eye on the situation with a concern for the future of the Boston Hills Pet Memorial Park.
"We'd love to see the cemetery remain for the dog owners," says Roberts, "It's been a good place but we obviously have a concern about the property."
The City of Hudson and pet owners have researched Ohio laws which pertain to pet cemeteries and point out that making substantial changes to such property is very difficult. In addition the pet cemetery contains the cremated remains of a number of people who were eventually interred near their pets.
Some of the pet owners say any potential solution to preserve the pet cemetery must be legally binding and permanent.
"This is a long term committment," says Cultrona. "This isn't for two years or five years. This is the next 100 years. When you bury anybody the expectation is that's their final resting place."
Pet owners also want to know what became of the more than $25,000 they sent to Glass last year to help with maintenance costs. They claim he cannot account for the money's use on the property. Glass said the money was used "to replace equipment and offset Building & Grounds deficit."
Westfall is skeptical. "Show me a new piece of equipment and I'll pay for it," she told Channel 3 News. She also says people who have pet buried at Boston Hills are willing to chip in under the right conditions.
"Everybody is offering money," she said. "I don't know how much money has been offered to me already and I refuse to take any." Westfall says offers of funds should be withheld until some formal agreement on the pet cemetery's future is reached.
She is not surprised so many people are planning to attend the February 27 meeting.
"I think people love their animals and they don't want to see anything happen to their animals."
Click here for more Cleveland pet stories.
© 2009 WKYC-TV
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END CEMETERY GENEALOGY NEWS
FEBRUARY 19, 2009
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