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OPINION/EDITORIALPage 2, The Lindale News & Times, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020This day Chris CoblerCapitalHighlightsState resumes requiringjob searches to get benefitsTexans receiving unemployment benefits will need to show an activeeffort to find a job starting Nov. 1.The Texas Workforce Commission suspended the requirement inMarch as the pandemic started. More than 3.6 million have filed forunemployment relief since then, according to Texas Tribune research.Workforce Executive Director Ed Serna said the state continues tosuffer from the pandemic, “but we’re seeing employment opportunitiesbegin to bounce back in Texas as our economy restarts. There are opportunities out there, and getting Texans back to work and businessesup and running again will create even more.”Abhi Rahman, Texas Democratic Party communications director,called the action “wrong and emblematic of Republicans who will dothe most cruel thing imaginable every chance they get.”“These are Texans who are struggling to put food on the table orfighting off evictions,” Rahman said. “These are Texans who havelost everything due to no fault of their own.”Workforce officials report 695,000 jobs are available at WorkInTexas.com, the state’s online portal. Texas Workforce also reportedthe state’s unemployment rate jumped to 8.3% in September, up from7% in August.Cancer, in any of its forms is a frightening diagnosis. Every singlereader has dealt with this disease in some form. Some families get anunfair helping of the dreaded disease. Some are shocked to find thatexposure to carcinogens in ways they couldn’t have imagined havebrought the disease to their door.I have watched some face the fight with a smile and determination.I have seen some let the disease take them without raising a fist tofight because it came at a time that it was just too much to bear. Wehave all seen the fight and the surrender too many times to count.So here comes October with all of its reminders about breast cancerawareness in cheery pink. And certainly the focus has led to savedlives and earlier treatment and that is definitely something to celebrate.And we do. We have come a long way. So, I too, will be breakingout my pink shirts.My grandmother was diagnosed in the days of brutalizing surgeryand chemo. She surrendered when the disease metastasized. She hadlived a loving and relatively long life. Yet as she waited to leave thisearth one of her heartbreaking cries to me was “why can’t I just die?”I didn’t know the answer to her question but I encouraged her to beat peace and be with us until she wasn’t.My joyful aunt raised her fist and fought the disease with energyand fierce dedication and she lived to be 85. She died of our family’sSuzanneBardwellmost feared ailment stroke. One of my best friends fought cancerin her early 40s just as fiercely only to embrace the inevitable andsay goodbye to her 11-year old son. My husband’s beloved Grannyfought it with the help of her family as long as she could and had sevenyears more of life, but died far too soon, at the same age I am now.Medicine has come a long way. Treatments for cancer are betterthan ever. But that doesn’t change the fear of the unknown that comeswith the diagnosis. So we keep fighting as long as we can. And wekeep supporting those we love as long as we can.Until there is no more time.Today is all we have. Today, this moment, is our life. Let’s try tolive it as fully, as joyfully, as courageously and kindly as we can.Because we can.That is the gift we have before us this day.I pray that your gift of life, today, is filled with much laughter andlove. And memories. Sweet and precious memories.Big-time advocate in small townA small-town Texas librarian is making big waves as an advocatefor universal broadband access.Dianne Connery, director of the Pottsboro Area Library, is spotlighted in Arizona State University’s ShapingEDU’s blog for her efforts tomake high-speed internet available in her town of 2,000. Pottsboro isabout 75 miles north of Dallas.The article notes she helps library users with their online medicalappointments, works to create wifi hotspots around Pottsboro forstudents during the pandemic, and teaches people how to use GoogleDrive. She also drives around town testing to show where broadbandcoverage has been exaggerated by service providers.“Working in a rural library, I talk to people every day who strugglewith not having access to broadband,” Connery said. “Their storiesinspired me to work to improve conditions. In particular, I saw howyoung people do not have the same experiences and opportunities askids in the suburbs and urban environments.”Burning like a heat waveLa Niña conditions threaten to make this a dangerously dry andwarm winter and spring in much of Texas.A La Niña event could lead to a drought and a summer heat wavesimilar to the weather pattern that smacked the state in 2010-11, according to Nelun Fernando with the Texas Water Development Board.Other factors might affect the amount of rainfall between now andthe summer, he said, but already 18 counties in West Texas and thePanhandle are experiencing exceptional drought.“We can say with some certainty, though, that the die is loadedtoward drought persistence over West Texas through the winter andpossibly through spring,” Fernando said.Giving Texas the businessThe Aggies and the Longhorns aren’t likely to finish No. 1 in football this season, but Texas can celebrate a national championship ineconomic development.The state ranked No. 1 for the eighth consecutive time in a surveyof U.S. corporate executives. The survey was announced at the International Economic Development Council’s annual conference, whichwas held virtually in Dallas.Executives preferred Texas over No. 2 Georgia by a wide margin.North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee round out the top five. Factorscited in the ranking: overall business climate, a favorable tax climate,a pro-business environment, and access to talent.Carve out Halloween fun with careHalloween activities will need to be more thoughtful this year tobe safe during the pandemic, the Texas Department of Health Serviceadvises. Trick-or-treating from door to door is considered a high-riskactivity for spreading COVID-19 and should be avoided, accordingto the state health department and the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention. People also should avoid attending crowded indoorcostume parties and going to an indoor haunted house or on a hayridewith those who are not part of their household.Instead, the state and federal health agencies recommend lower-riskholiday activities such as carving pumpkins, decorating at home andhaving a virtual costume party. Moderate-risk activities include participating in one-way trick-or-treating where goodies are left at theend of the driveway; having a small group, outdoor, open-air costumeparade where people are 6 feet apart and wear protective masks; andvisiting pumpkin patches where people use hand sanitizer, wearingmasks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintainsocial distance.Costumes with facial coverings are not sufficient replacements forproper cloth face masks, officials said.THE ECONOMISTGoing once .Two Americans, Dr. PaulR. Milgrom and Dr. Robert B.Wilson of Stanford University,received this year’s Nobel Prizein Economics“for improvements to auction theory andinventions ofnew auctionformats.”Each year, theRoyal Swedish Academyof Sciences awards the Prizein recognition of ideas andresearch that increase our understanding of important issuesin economics and related areas.This year’s winners have studied auctions and how they work.Most of us experience auctions in some form, perhapsthrough silent bidding at charityevents or buying items on eBay.TheLindale News & TimesThe Lindale News & Times ispublished every Thursday. Officesare located at 104 S. Main, P.O.Box 1559, Lindale, Texas 75771.Periodical rates paid at LindalePost Office (USPS No. 314040).Annual subscription rate is 35 fordelivery inside Smith County, 40outside of Smith County and 50out-of-state. Any erroneousinformation reflecting upon thecharacter, standing or reputation ofany person, firm or corporationwhich may appear in the columnsof this newspaper will be correctedupon its being brought to theattention of the publisher.Reproduction of any portion of anyissue of this newspaper is notallowed without the permission ofThe Lindale News & Times.By Dr. M. Ray PerrymanNews & Advertising Deadlines: Noon Monday104 S. Main St., Lindale, TX 75771Office Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday(closed Wednesday)Telephone: 903-882-8880 Fax: 903-882-8234Email: www.lindalenews-times.comOwners: Jim & Suzanne BardwellPublisher: Jim BardwellEditor: Terry ising@lindalenews-times.comOffice Manager: Susan DuncanOther Bardwellink publications include: The Gladewater Mirror and White Oak IndependentWhile the concept of auctionshas been around for millenniaand is generally understood,making them effective and efficient isn’t so simple. It’s particularly complex for certain typesof goods and services that aren’teasy to sell through traditionalchannels, such as frequencieson the radio spectrum or airportlanding slots.I worked on some of the earlyspectrum sales in the 1980s. Theprocess became so bogged downat times that the federal government ended up assigning accessby lottery. Paul and Bob didmuch to resolve these problems.One issue arising from auctions of public goods is that theprocess can actually result inthe winning bidder paying toomuch and impairing its financial sustainability. If a cellularservice provider buys radiofrequencies but then lacks theresources to fully deploy theneeded infrastructure, for example, cell phone service maysuffer. In fact, for many publicgoods, the highest bid may notalways yield the best outcomefor society.Dr. Wilson and Dr. Milgromcame up with better structures and formats for auctions,especially in non-traditionalsituations. In studying auctiontheory, they gained insight intohow rules for bidding and finalprices affect outcomes. Muchof their work expands on theseminal precepts of game theory originally conceived by thebeautiful mind of John Nash.Bob’s work deals with theconcept of a “common value,”which is uncertain at the timeof the auction but would bethe same for everyone in theend. An example is the actual amount of recoverable oilbeneath certain acreage. Histheories demonstrate why rational bidders place bids belowtheir own best estimate of thecommon value because they areafraid of paying too much (the“winner’s curse”).Paul’s more general theoryaccounts for common values, butalso the possibility of “privatevalues” that vary for each bidder.He found that the auction formatgives the seller higher expectedrevenue when bidders learnmore about each other’s estimated values during the auction.This work has helped notonly sellers and buyers, butalso taxpayers through boosting revenue and improvingsocial wellbeing in auctions ofpublic goods. The Prize is welldeserved. Stay safe!!East Texas TFS Wildland Firefighters return from CaliforniaContinued from Page 1Fire Mutual Aid System under aspecial Emergency ManagementAssistance Compact. Currently,state and municipal firefightersfrom Texas continue to supportwildfire suppression operationsin the western states“TFS has invested a lot of time,effort and funding to build upourselves and the local municipalfire departments to better respondto wildfires here and abroad basedon the national standards and over100 years of lessons learned,” saidBardwell. “The legendary USForest Service wildland firefighterPaul Gleason advocated for all ofus to be lifelong students of fireand we hope to keep his dreamalive for those we train and workwith.”

Lindale News & Times, Thursday, October 22, 2020, Page 3He’s relocated, but still has Lindale in his soulThe voice on the other end of the telephone line was clear, cheerfuland unmistakable. Caller ID wouldn’t be needed. It was Clyde Harper,now a former Lindale resident but someone who will always have hisfavorite city in his heart.Due to health considerations, Harper and his wonderful sidekickwife Billie Jean have moved to Schertz, Texas, just northeast of SanAntonio to be near family.Harper, who spent 11 years on the Lindale City Council, gave uphis seat recently to relocate but it would take that dastardly diseasecancer to force the move.A stubborn tumor in his leg wouldn’t getthe best of the indefatigable Harper andwhile he now has to use a prosthesis, don’tbelieve for one second he can’t kick back.Which is apropos for a former LindaleHigh School place kicker who has fondmemories of growing up during a much simpler time. As a youngster, he sold popcorn atthe local theater, shined shoes at Shores andBrown barber shop and like many others inthe community, worked at Allen Cannery.After a stint in the Army, Harper returnedClyde Harperto Lindale and obtained a degree from TylerJunior College before working for Texas Power and Light, a job heheld for 27 years.He “retired’’ from TP&L and moved on to working at Trinity MotherFrances Hospital until 2006.In February, 1968 (he’d be the first to say it was the luckiest dayof his life) he married the spirited Billie Jean Smith Kelsey. (Aside:she’s a true treasure and has been kind enough to share her deliciousbanana bread with me, something I’ll never forget).The Harper family has been immersed in all things Lindale formany, many years. He coached little league baseball, served as adeacon at Lindale’s First Baptist Church and he and Billie Jean werededicated members of the Lindale Evening Garden Club.Yet of all the things he’s accomplished in Lindale, he is mostTerryCannonEditorproud of his time on the city council.“During those years on the council, I really loved helping people,’’he said. “A lot of folks may not know the amount of work that goesinto (serving on the council), but it is truly worth it.’’His mission was simple: making sure the city and its citizens weremoving forward.“Everything we did was for the betterment of the city and I’m veryproud of that,’’ he said.During those 11 years, Harper and his fellow council membersfocused on one thing only: making sure Lindale continues to grow ata pace that won’t put too much of a burden on the taxpayers.Capable opponents ran against him twice in his tenure, but bothtimes voters knew Harper’s integrity and can-do spirit would be thebest thing for the city.“It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with Clyde,’’ saidLindale Mayor Jeff Daugherty. “He always – always – put the citizensof Lindale first.’’Harper’s infectious cheerfulness and upbeat attitude still endearshim to the city’s residents.“He was a great councilman and I just can’t say enough nice thingsabout him. He’s a true Lindale man,’’ Daugherty said.Mayor Pro tem Ginger Sims sat next to Harper during councilmeetings and she will definitely miss her friend.“First of all, he just loves Lindale,’’ she said. “He loves the peoplehere and truly has a sincere heart for the city and its people. He wasa delight to work with.’’LETTER TO EDITORCan’t afford to haveunchecked, Democratic powerDear Editor,Six months ago, none of us knew howfar the radical left would be willing to goto alter our society.We cannot afford to see what our country would look like if Democrats hadunchecked power in Washington D.C., butthere is no hiding what a victory for theirside would mean: Killing of more prebornbabies, eliminate sanctity of marriage, religious discrimination leading to persecution,a socialist economy, much higher taxes,a depressed economy, defunding policedepartments and elimination of many,spending on disastrous programs like theGreen New Deal and two more years ofNancy Pelosi.What a government to leave for our children and grandchildren.Edmund KaupLindaleMore highlights, orlowlights, from FacebookI really get a kick out of Facebook. Here are some of my betterposts.--I took a friend’s advice andlooked up my family roots. I cameup with Sassafras. Now Brother,that’s country right there.--I was pumpin’ gas in my Jeep,when a little bitty, round red cardrove up to the pump behind me.When I say little bitty, I mean littlebitty. It really was a cool lookin’little thing. Well, about then thiswormy looking little guy climbsout and sees me starin’ at hisvehicle. I smiled at him and said,“Cute car.”Well, he bowed up, pursed outhis lips, and started in on me.“Cute car? Did you say cutecar?” He growled. “I’ll have youto know this is a blaa, blaa, blaa(I couldn’t understand what hesaid) Smart car and it gets 40 milesto a gallon.” Then he looked atmy Jeep and shook his head andsighed. “I guess that’s yours,” hesaid and then chuckled.“Yep,” I said, still smilin’.“This here’s ol’ Dixie, my Jeep,”and I patted her on the fender.“She’s 25 years old and getsabout 15 miles to the gallon. Shelooks a little rough, and to tellyou the truth, she probably ain’tthat smart.But,” I added, “There’s onething you can say about her.At least she doesn’t look like apolyp.”His eyes got really big and hestared at me. I really wasn’t tooworried about him. He was builtabout like a Q-tip. “Well!” Heexclaimed, and then he climbedback into his car and putted off.He didn’t even fill up with gas.You know, you just can’t be niceto some people.--Went in this mornin’ for myannual checkup. After seein’ thedoc, I had to have the usual bloodwork done.I was sittin’ there waitin’ myturn when the lady called out aname. I saw a young lady withabout a four year old little girlRusty MitchumLife & Timesstand up and walk toward the ladywho called out her name.She was more or less draggin’the little girl who looked scared.The lady stopped and bent downand said somethin’ to the little girland the little girl shook her head.The lady looked around and whenher eyes landed on me, I smiled.She smiled back and then saidsomethin’ to the little girl.The little girl looked at me,shook her head, and then saidsomething to the lady and then thelady said something back to thelittle girl. The little girl noddedand they walked toward me.“Excuse me,” the lady said tome. “My daughter is afraid to goin there with me. Would you mindterribly if she sat with you?”“My pleasure,” I said and thelittle girl sat down. Her mompatted her on her leg and left.“I’m Rusty,” I said and the littlegirl mumbled her name.Then she looked up at me andsaid, “I’m skeered of needles.”I leaned down and whispered,“I’m skeered of needles, too.”She smiled and started starin’at me. I narrowed my eyes andgrowled, “What chu lookin’ at?”She giggled. “Your eyes,” sheanswered.“My Eyes?”“Yes,” she said. “I didn’t wantto go with Mommy in there andI was skeered to be out here bymyself, so Mommy asked me ifI wanted to sit with you, but Itold her you were big and scary,but she said you had kind eyesand she said nobody would everbother me if I sat with you, so Iwas looking at your eyes to seewhat kind eyes look like.” Thenshe smiled and shook her littlehead and said, “I don’t thinks youis scary no more.”I had to turn away for a minute.I couldn’t let her see tears formin’in the big scary man’s eyes.--I’ve been fightin’ a sore throatthe last few days and it’s been takin’ a toll on my voice. Janet wasin town, so I texted her, “Voicegone.”She texted back, “Prayers answered.”--Well there’s something youdon’t see every day. I was smokin’a Punch cigar this mornin’ on thedeck and I noticed a squirrel hadleft a half eaten toad stool on theroof of my bird feeder and coupleof birds started peckin’ at it.All of a sudden, one of the birdsstarted wobblin’.About that time two more birdslanded up there and they startedwatchin’ the bird as it stumbledtoward the edge of the roof of thebird feeder. Then the bird trippedand fell off.The other birds all rushed tothe edge and looked down at him.Then they started laughin’. Oneof the birds that had arrived laterlifted a wing and used it to slapthe back of the other bird that hadbeen peckin’ the toad stool. Hewas wobblin’ a little himself.Anywho, it knocked him off thefeeder and onto the ground. Bothgrounded birds were stumblin’around and tryin’ to help eachother up while the birds up onthe roof of the feeder were rollin’around laughin’. Boy howdy, it’slike livin’ in the redneck ghetto outhere. I don’t know what they putin these Punch cigars, but wow!--Man, I saw somethin’ on Facebook today that said sniffin’ somethin’ would improve your memoryby 75 percent. I guess I shouldhave sniffed what it said that Iwas supposed to sniff, so I couldremember what it said that I wassupposed to sniff.--Janet and I were watchin’ TVwhen a commercial came on.There was a lady lookin’ out of herwindow and she looked down inthe dumps. Then the narrator ofthe commercial asked, “Are youfeeling sluggish?”I answered out loud, “Yeah, Iam.”“Do you feel out of sorts?”Again I answered, “Yeah, I do.”“Then try our laxative,” he said.Janet spoke up. “Don’t do it.You’ll disappear.”--Janet’s my third wife. My firstone died after eatin’ some badmushrooms. My second wife.well, I shot her. She wouldn’t eather mushrooms.--

portion of the million acre fire. "All too often, firefighters East Texas TFS Wildland Firefighters return from California Photo by Josh Bardwell from other states are coming to Texas to help us out," said Bur-nett. "It was nice to return the favor." With dozers being TFS' main-stay of fighting wildfires in East Texas for over 100 .