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HURRICANE SEASON JUNE 1 - NOVEMBER 30
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click the logo to "listen live"
HURRICANE SEASON JUNE 1 - NOVEMBER 30
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NEWS SEPTEMBER 2010
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lisd budget news story 07.14.10 liberty isd trustees are considering cutting 21 jobs and slashing pre-k programs from full day to a half day to get a BALANCED budget. the liberty school board held a budget workshop monday night in an effort to further cut expenses with hopes of adopting a balanced budget for fiscal year 2010-2011. as we have previously reported, lisd officials expect deficit spending of $1.2 million for the current fiscal year. that comes on the heels of the 2008-2009 fiscal shortfall of $600,000. as a result of the two years of deficit spending, the liberty school district’s fund balance has tumbled from $5.4 million at the end of the 2007-2008 budget cycle to an expected $3.5 million when this fiscal year concludes august 31. looking ahead to next year’s budget, liberty school OFFICIALS project a decline in revenue of $376,897 - further complicating the situation. during monday’s workshop, lisd chief financial OFFICER margaret lee detailed spending cuts planned for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. as presented at that workshop, the proposed budget calls for the elimination of 21 positions through attrition. among those cuts are 15 teachers and two aides. three curriculum FACILITATORS are being REASSIGNED to other open positions, and a registered nurse who left is being replaced by a certified nurse assistant. these cuts are projected to save the district more than $1 million. about $220,000 of that savings is directly related to changing liberty’s pre-kindergarten program from a full day to a half day. if that happens, several pre-k teachers will be moved to open positions elsewhere. the remaining pre-k teachers will work a full day with pre-kindergarten students attending either in the morning or afternoon. previously, the district was RECEIVING a grant to operate pre-k as a full-day program, but that money is no longer AVAILABLE to the district. therefore, liberty isd either has to foot the whole cost of a full-day, pre-k PROGRAM or change to that half-day plan. after the proposed cuts to EXPENDITURES as PRESENTED during monday’s workshop, the liberty isd budget has a surplus of $3,128. the district continues to TWEAK the budgetary numbers as bids come in on things like insurance for the coming fiscal year. liberty school board members also urged administrators to continue their hard work with hopes of finding other areas for additional spending cuts.
certified values news story 07.14.10 The 2010 property value rolls have been certified for liberty county taxing entities. the liberty county appraisal DISTRICT’S data shows the total countywide appraised value for land, improvements, personal property, minerals and industrial has risen by 1.52 percent from 2009. chief appraiser alan d. connor – who certifies the values - said, after the last tax PROTEST hearings this month, he expects the final 2010 total value for liberty county will be $4.115 billion. "audio" taking a look at property values for INCORPORATED cities, the biggest increases were in daisetta, which jumped 36.77 percent, and in ames, up 22.86 percent. the largest decrease occurred in devers – down a staggering 36.68 percent. these wide swings are mostly attributable to mineral and INDUSTRIAL values. other cities with property value increases are liberty, hardin, and cleveland. on the other hand, dayton and city of dayton lakes both experienced overall losses in net taxable property values. once more, 2010 property value rolls have been certified by chief appraiser alan d. connor for liberty county taxing entities, and values increased 1.52 percent countywide. overall, land went up in value by 11.18 percent while personal PROPERTY, minerals, and industrial values all went down across liberty county. we will have information on local school district final certified property values in a coming newscast. LEWIS TRIAL SET FOR MONDAY LOCAL NEWS 07/14/10
A CLEVELAND MAN IS SET TO GO ON TRIAL MONDAY ON A CHARGE OF FELONY INJURY TO CHILD IN THE DEATH OF HIS ONE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER. IT WAS IN OCTOBER 2008, ONE-YEAR-OLD KIYANI (KEE-AH-NEE) LASHAY LEWIS WAS AIRLIFTED TO MEMORIAL HERMANN HOSPITAL IN HOUSTON IN CRITICAL CONDITION. THE LITTLE GIRL DIED THERE OF INJURIES HER PARENTS TOLD POLICE SHE RECEIVED WHEN SHE FELL FROM A SOFA TO THE FLOOR AT THEIR CLEVELAND HOME. AN AUTOPSY DETERMINED KIYANI LEWIS DIED OF BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA TO THE HEAD. EVIDENCE ALSO INDICATED THE ONE-YEAR-OLD HAD SEVERE BRUISES OVER MOST HER BODY. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2009, THE CHILD’S MOTHER, CHARLSY ZAREIA (ZAH-REE-AH) SPENCER WAS FOUND GUILTY OF CAPITAL MURDER FOR HER DAUGHTER’S DEATH AND SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE. DISTRICT ATTORNEY MIKE LITTLE SAID ON MONDAY, THE BABY’S FATHER, 49-YEAR-OLD CLARENCE RAY LEWIS’ TRIAL IS SET TO GO ON TRIAL BEFORE 75TH DISTRICT JUDGE C. T. “RUSTY” HIGHT. THE D.A. SAID THE CHILD’S MOTHER, CHARLSY SPENCER HAD INITIALLY LOST CUSTODY OF ALL THREE OF HER OTHER YOUNG CHILDREN WHEN MEDICAL TESTS SHOWED TRACES OF COCAINE IN NEWBORN KIYANI’S SYSTEM. ALLEGEDLY THAT WAS DUE TO HER MOTHER’S DRUG USE. WE LEARNED CLARENCE LEWIS REGAINED CUSTODY OF KIYANI AND HER TWO SIBLINGS IN JULY 2008 ON THE CONDITION HE WAS NOT TO ALLOW CHARLSY SPENCER ANY CONTACT WITH THE CHILDREN. FOR ALLEGEDLY VIOLATING THAT CONDITION CLARENCE LEWIS IS CHARGED WITH SERIOUS INJURY TO A CHILD- A FIRST DEGREE FELONY-FOR HIS PART IN HIS DAUGHTER’S DEATH. DA MIKE LITTLE SAID MR. LEWIS HAS OPTED NOT TO BE TRIED BY A JURY, BUT INSTEAD IS SCHEDULED FOR WHAT IS CALLED A BENCH TRIAL BEFORE JUDGE HIGHT. |
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