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By Jerry Morgan, Reporter

VAN DYKE -- Tax abatements for the Roadrunner Wind Farm, the acquisition of new microbiology lab machines, a large operating loss for September and the possible addition of a new internal medicine physician were among the highlights of the most recent Hospital Board meeting.

Vice president Joe Locke conducted the Tuesday, October 30, meeting of the Board of Directors of the Comanche County Consolidated Hospital District, the governing body of Comanche County Medical Center and Doctors Medical Clinic.   >>More<<

By Laura Kestner, Editor

The Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District met in regular session, Thursday, November 1, and addressed a brief agenda.

Board members Fred Parker, Jerry Hinshaw, George Bingham, Ed Dittfurth and Chairman Rodney Stephens – were present. Board member Jerry Fronterhouse was absent.   >>Full Story<<

By Jerry Morgan, Reporter

Tom Letz began work at Comanche County Medical Center as its new Chief Financial Officer early in October. But this isn't his first hospital work. He previously worked for 20 years with Hospital Corporation of America at various locations in that chain. And, other than his first year out of college, Tom has worked in hospitals during his entire career. You could say he is an old hand at hospital accounting.

Letz is a family man. His wife's name is Donna. The couple have two grown children and three grandchildren. Their daughter, Lori Beck, is a school teacher in Early who lives in May. Their son, Bryan, lives in Big Spring and works in that city's water department.

The Letz's have bought a home in Comanche. Although they moved here from Woodville, in East Texas, they are familiar with the area, since Thomas worked at Brownwood Regional Hospital for 10 years in the 1980's. Both of their children graduated from Early High School. Donna and Bryan both graduated from Howard Payne University.

Tom, however, studied accounting at Texas Tech where he earned a BBA degree. He grew up in Old Glory, about 60 miles north of Abilene, near Stamford, and attended school in Old Glory under the same roof for all 12 years. He graduated in 1962 in a class of 10.

Letz described his first month on the job as "setting back and trying to learn" both the new environment and people in the hospital. That included spending a couple of days with technical people learning the hospital's computerized accounting systems. He has also been working with the outside audit staff in wrapping up the audit report and using it to get a solid foundation for the balance sheet.

Letz has also spent time getting to know the hospital's administrative staff and their job functions. He will be working with Beth Harrell, the staff accountant, Wanda Cook, the payroll manager, and Ann Hickman, who handles accounts payable. Letz also works closely with Tamara Wells in the business office, Molly Gaines in medical records and Gilbert Torres in information systems, as well as the other departmental managers.

"I've been impressed by the hospital," Letz stated. "I think the two communities did an excellent job in getting together and putting this up out here. It's amazing when you drive up on it."

Barbara Nowlin's 48 point guess on our tiebreaker game was only one point off the actual total, enabling her to edge out Steve Baker and Billy Warren, two other perfect pickers, in the week #9 football contest.

The footballs bounced right for our panel of pickers this week. In addition to our three perfect entries, grades overall improved dramatically, from the season's worst last week to the season's high mark this week. The average score was 82.5% correct, good for a "B-" grade.

Games which were most often guessed correctly included Stephenville's win over Crowley, Tolar defeat of Santo, Permian's smashing of Odessa and Texas Tech's bashing of Baylor, where more than 95% chose the winner.

Not a single one of the 15 games in our contest fooled as many as half of our panel. Waco's defeat of Brownwood was missed by 42%. Texas' come from way behind win over Oklahoma State cost 34% a miss. Eastland's close win over Millsap tricked a third of our panel. 30% of our panel chose the Bearcats to defeat Gorman, however many more would likely have been pleased to have missed on their pick of Gorman.

Next week is the final week of the regular Texas schoolboy football season, and in some years it marks the final week of our football contest as well. When the Bearcats make the playoffs, however, as they will be doing this year, we will extend our football contest into the first week of the playoffs. That week the contest prize will be $100. But for the coming week, however, the contest prize will be the regular $50.

Good luck in your picks!

A total of 25 indictments were returned by the Comanche County Grand Jury on October 31, 2007 to Brenda Dickey, District Clerk.  >>Full Story<<

By Tim White, Sports Editor

The DeLeon Bearcats football team fell to the Gorman Panthers last Friday night by a score of 47-0 in Gorman.

The Bearcats failed to score, while the Panthers ground game scored on their first two possession, both times on long runs from junior Matt Underwood (59 and 44 yards, 171 total, four touchdowns). Both extra point conversions were successful, and Gorman led at the end of the first quarter, 14-0.  >>Full Story & Picture<<

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