Wednesday Morning Update

Lewisville lake was at 519.21 feet ASL as of this morning. That's nearly 3 feet low, with the lake at 87% of conservation pool.

Here is an update on the City of Lewisville's fight against mosquitos carrying the West Nile Virus. So far, there have been nine confirmed cases, most of which are in the Northwest part of the city.

Councilman TJ Gilmore posted his thoughts on the July 16th Council Meeting, containing about the 35,154th explanation of what CDBG funds can and can't be used for, and what the purpose and guidelines for the program are. We happen to think that helping the elderly and the poor with repairs on their homes for their health and safety is a good investment, regardless of any property tax that may flow back in the future.

On a somewhat-related note, an editorial in the Dallas Morning News talks about breaking the slum cycle.

Michael Hiltzik's column about the Chick-Fil-A controversy is the best I have read so far on the issue. Dan Cathy has a right to express his hateful, bigoted, and ignorant opinion however he wants to. But Cathy has no right to expect that the people he hates, and their supporters will patronize his business, and fund the hatred. We expect a certain amount of corporate advocacy on issues that affect corporations; for instance, we wouldn't have hardly raised an eyebrow if Cathy had expressed an opinion about federal farm subsidies for potatoes, or regulations relating to raising chickens. These are after all his bread and butter. Whether we agree on subjects like that or not, we could still support the enterprise. The difference here is that Cathy is engaging in hatefulness towards a particular group, that he feels are inferior, and wants to use the government to deny rights to. That is what makes it personal. And since the "what about freedom of speech?" arguments have already started, please read this piece in Slate by Eliot Spitzer, talking about the difference between a boycott and government action.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants him some "glory hole". Ugh.

LA Times has a five-part series on the world's population explosion. If we expect to maintain a sustainable way of life on this planet, we are either going to have to slow the growth, or change our behaviors. I have zero hope that we can change our behaviors, short of extreme market signals like prices that reflect scarcity.

According to The Consumerist, $32 billion in federal student aid is going to students at for-profit colleges, where the student loan default rates are highest.

Here's another real Republican, honest enough to push back at the idiocy his party is currently permeated with.

Lewisville Yoga instructor DeAnna Shires Nielsen has a great column about how gossip is a destructive habit, along with some tips for how to deal with it.

Denton Record Chronicle has a story about how DCTA is in compliance with open meeting laws.

This article is a couple of years old, but it has an interesting definition of "liberal", and a good examination of the intelligence behind altruism.

Here's a part of the story that we missed about the coach at Hedrick Middle School, who resigned after allegations that he picked up a student by the head: The student apparently was a target for bullies after that.