22,
state
Battalion/Page 5
June 22, 1982
ewspapers fight to survive
Two weeklies war in Wylie
_
BVYLIE — A newspaper war is
(s( being waged in this small north
m' m lexas town between a 3-month-
"" ltc old weekly described as controv-
7; ' nslai %sial by some and a 35-year-old
e dislioiMje,- founded by a man who
Jre g^mpliKit.s to “leave the sensational to
s ur e thattl: t [, e big city dailies.”
!efi ts froml;
ttsesacosi-^D^ Wilson, a computer ser-
id. fles company employee,
expects 4 Started the weekly Wylie Citizen
mission to on March 23 because he said the
rate inert; iMtablished weekly paper, the
August ot Wylie News, presented only one
ae of issues.
1 millionintii kWylie News founder Truett
tuthwester; 511th, also a banker and insur-
PUC appj Ke agency owner, favored an
J
y’s appeal oi
1980 ratt
'’ariousapprl
airport bond issue and Wilson
opposed it. The issue failed by a
2-1 margin.
Wilson said he first thought
about starting a newspaper
when the Wylie News did not
cover the 1980 trial in which
Lucas Sunday School teacher
Candace Montgomery was ac
quitted of the ax slaying of Wylie
teacher Betty Gore.
The decision not to cover the
trial was in keeping with Smith’s
ideas about the purpose of his
newspaper, which he said
should “build up a community,
not tear it down.”
Smith said: “I prefer to stay
away from sensational items. I
think in a town this size we
should leave the sensational to
the big city dailies.”
Wilson, 34, a Lubbock native
who moved to Wylie four years
ago, said a newspaper should be
honest, open and frank and rep
resent the views of people who
read it.
“This newspaper is not my
newspaper,” Wilson said of the
Citizen. “It belongs to the people
who live and work in this area.”
Smith, 65, was born near
Wylie, started the First State
Bank and has been active in state
and local business and profes
sional organizations for many
years.
Smith said it is difficult for
two newspapers to survive in the
same town. Wilson said he hopes
the two papers can co-exist.
Some area residents say they
like having two newspapers,
while at least one merchant does
not advertise in the Citizen be
cause “it is too controversial and
against everything.”
Chamber of Commerce presi
dent Tim Hemingway said there
is a need for more local news.
“I think it’s wonderful be
cause there are two different
views on a subject being pre
sented,” said Gertie Douthitt,
who runs a dry goods and varie
ty store with her husband. “You
get more news.”
Two Waco cops shot
United Press International
WACO — Two policemen
remained hospitalized with
gunshot wounds the day after
a gun battle on a downtown
street.
Officer Frank M. Gentsch
was in critical but stable condi
tion late Sunday with gunshot
wounds to the stomach and
arm. Reserve Officer Terry
Linebaugh was in good condi
tion, with a gunshot wound to
the leg.
Frederick J. Watkins, 26,
was being held in the county
jail under $200,000 bond and
charged with two counts of
attempted capital murder,
officials said Sunday.
The two policemen were
patrolling in their car late
Saturday when they tried to
stop a man on foot near the
bus station, Detective Mike
Trantham said.
Gentsch stepped out of the
car and the suspect pulled out
a gun and began firing, hit
ting the officer twice, he said.
Squatters claiming old homes
in nationwide reform effort
. Similar!
f United Press International
HOUSTON — Ellipse Park in
|ashington this week will be the
camp of a group of urban
ineers willing to take the legal
s of squatting in dilapidated
ses for their only chance at
ing a home.
"he squatters have occupied
Indoned houses across the
everal slat iiiiiitry under the direction of
Ivania. ■ Association of Community
Manizations for Reform Now,
al Coalili fell is sponsoring the “squat-
tingsaysatuB in the Washington park
aplift usufenesday through Friday,
ar becaustl|0 ne °f those who hopes to
1 with store tenc l ‘ s Verna Bush, 28, a sing-
v lack moils pother of three who has taken
y thrills, Bldence in an abandoned
'shoplift P e in Houston,
probation!! jACORN helped Bush locate
alias Munr |h ome - Because squatting is
pal, ACORN is careful to
"ally are | ct abandoned homes whose
have done fe 5 are d ea d or who cannot
)on Babbit located or who likely never
ile on fixti M reclaim the property be-
food, then |
, very eodl p
lings 01 ven
cause of accumulated back
taxes.
The home Bush chose has
been vacant two years and has a
delinquent tax bill of $2,409 for
17 years.
Neighbors were eager for her
to settle in the windowless,
broken down eyesore, but
friends have discouraged her
because of possible legal prob
lems.
“But I tell them I already
know that and I’m taking a
chance,” Bush said. “It’s worth
the risk and effort because I
could not afford a house other
wise.”
Houston ACORN staffer Joe
McCartin said: “Squatting is a
dramatic way to focus on the
lack of local and federal housing
for low and moderate-income
working people and the lack of
programs to rehabilitate inner-
city housing.
“We hope this program will
give us a handle on inner-city
neighborhoods and make sure
abandoned homes are not
turned over to developers and
speculators.”
Although Houston officials
do not plan to evict squatters,
they have been evicted from
houses in Tulsa, Okla., Atlanta
and Dallas, ACORN said.
Nationwide, about 200 squatters
remain in their adopted homes.
“The city of Philadelphia has
passed a nuisance abatement
program which basically legal
izes squatting,” Mike Shea,
nationwide staff coordinator of
ACORN’s housing campaign
said.
“Those who turn in aban
doned houses that have delin
quent taxes get a contract with
the city. The city then puts a lien
on the house for back taxes and
buys it. The title is then turned
over to the squatters once they
fix the house up.”
Shea said if an owner sur
faces, he must pay the taxes and
repay the squatter for improve
ments. i
The Department Housing
and Urban Development is the
largest owner of vacant housing.
HUD has acquired more than
11,000 homes nationwide be
cause owners defaulted on fed
erally insured VA and FHA
loans, Shea said.
Shea said HUD lets the
houses sit until it can sell them to
speculators or real estate de
velopers, who he said turn them
into slum houses and use them
as tax shelters.
“It’s a Robin Hood in re
verse,” Shea said. “HUD is tak
ing from the poor and giving to
the rich.”
He admitted the squatters’
battle for improved housing is
tough.
“It’s legally wrong and moral
ly right for people to squat,” he
said. “But 20 years ago, civil
rights was illegal, also.”
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