A friend of mine and I have had some fun over the past few weeks as we’ve realized there is a recurring theme among a handful of fairly major issues in the community.
Basically, it’s going to be very interesting to watch them play out.
It will be interesting to see how the state attorney general’s office investigation of the Texas County Sheriff’s Department plays out.
Never mind who the two people are being investigated or what issues or actions are being questioned, this just isn’t something you see very often – in fact, you could go many decades without seeing it take place. Let’s face it: It’s a law enforcement agency being investigated by another law enforcement agency; that’s not common, you know?
But for all of us out here in observation land, we’d best be ready to exercise some patience in the matter. Again, the AG’s office is involved, and this isn’t an entity renowned for swift resolutions.
Basically, we might be waiting quite a while to see this play out, like maybe months. Then again, we might see something happen “by the end of next week” (which has been a frequently heard phrase since this issue gained legs).
It will be interesting to watch the competition play out that’s being waged between the Texas County Commission and local radio station owner George Sholtz.
Sholtz is fairly well-known locally for his controversial, in-your-face on-air style of presenting opinions on a wide range of issues, and the county’s three commissioners have taken offense with some of his comments directed their way and are seeking a court-ordered gag-order. Meanwhile, Sholtz and his daughter each have active lawsuits against the county stemming from a farm implement accident last summer that killed her husband.
It would appear that the closely-related issues of slander and censorship are among things in play here, and the competition’s outcome will hinge largely on identification and definition of both. Those conclusions won’t easily be reached, and I’m not at all sure what to expect.
But I do know this: There will be lawyers.
It will be interesting to see how the issue of a proposed community sports complex plays out.
I think it’s cool that the City of Houston has officially floated the idea, and I believe the concept itself presents the possibility of a whole lot of financial benefit to a host of local businesses and individuals, not to mention simply providing a nice venue for area athletes (young and old) to hit the fields or courts. But no such project has ever been started (let alone finished) without the promise of a bunch of dedicated funding, and therein lies the challenge: Securing that funding will require backing from the voters.
I heard that an attempt to obtain that funding via a vote might take place as soon as this November, and if that’s the case, it will be extremely interesting to watch how voters make this play out.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Houston High School head football coach and assistant principal Eric Sloan.
It’s no secret that Sloan and his wife have their house on Hamrick Street listed for sale as of Monday (and it stands to reason that sellers never want their listings kept secret).
Whether the listing has anything to do with recent controversy regarding fall baseball (and other personnel-related considerations) can only be categorized as speculation, but at least one school official said, “it could be.”
Whatever the case, I think no longer having Sloan on the sidelines on Friday nights in the fall would be a total shame. He has inarguably energized and breathed life into an ailing HHS football program (and that of the entire community’s football program, for that matter), and losing him would be a pretty significant step backward. And that’s on top of his very worthy work as an administrator.
That said, I wish the man all the best in whatever God has in store for him. Eric Sloan is one of a kind, and any town or school district would be lucky to have him.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald.
Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.