To the Editor: Amid all the news concerning the downfall of St. Mark’s Hospital, we in Fayette County witnessed the discontinuing service of Air Evac helicopter service.

To the Editor: In last Friday’s paper, Mr. Noak mentioned that in California, someone making $70,000 annually would pay over $11,000 in state income taxes.

When is forgetfulness construed as rudeness or vice versa? When I fail to send a thank you note in a timely period even though I had thought about it several times during the past six days, is that rudeness or forgetfulness or procrastination? I would prefer not to think of it as rudeness. And since I am 81, commonly called aged, I could get by with forgetting to sit down and write such a note, or maybe it is dementia.

If you want to get out of the heat Saturday afternoon, may I suggest seeing “Romeo and Juliet” at 3 p.m. the LGISD Performing Arts Center, a show put on by the Camp Shakespeare kids If you want to embrace the heat, may I recommend seeing Sunday’s 2 p.m, performance at the Winedale Theater Barn. Take note: They do have some A/C and fans set up but the historic barn is open on the outside.

As a youngster, I used to love to read books, especially ones about adventure or animals. I was about in the sixth grade when I came across a book titled “Smokey, The Cow Horse.” I could usually read a short novel in one or two days, but I had already read most of the smaller books. This particular book came from a higher shelf of our small library and it was about 500 pages. When I started reading this exciting book, I could hardly put it down, but I had many chores to do each day after school so I could only read at night.

CAPITAL Highlights

Texas House Democrats unveiled a $20.9 billion plan for property tax relief that drops tax rates, increases the homestead exemption, gives annual rebates to renters, and includes pay raises for teachers, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The newest proposal comes as the Legislature continues wrangling over the issue in the second special session this year.

T EXAS History On Jul. 12, 1839, Sam Houston wrote a letter to his favorite pen pal, a woman young enough to be his daughter, to say how much he missed her and his Texas.

The Fayette County Record welcomes submissions, whether they be letters to the editor, guest columns or news items and/or photos. Please send any submissions to editor Jeff Wick at: jeff@fayettecountyrecord. com.

In 1972, the petroleum industry in Fayette County played a significant role in helping to satisfy the unprecedented demand for Texas crude oil and natural gas. Fayette was one of the 190 Texas counties out of 254 that produced oil and gas valued in excess of $100,000 in a record production year for the state’s number one industry. According to the Texas Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association, the value of petroleum produced in the Fayette County was $830,000 for a ranking slot of 173rd. The sale of crude oil here earned $812,000 and natural gas $18,000. Fayette County royalty owners split $104,000 in checks. Oil and gas producers and developers spent $397,000 drilling four wells in the county with $277,000 lost in three dry holes. The Texas Employment Commission reported 111 employees worked in the county’s oil and gas industry, sharing a payroll of $430,000.

To the Editor: We may be tempted to ignore the candidates and their rhetoric. Over the next 17 months, let’s not miss our opportunity to vet the next leaders.