Volume 62, Number 26
Azle News
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
THE
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Wrestling ladies 12-0 in contest
Page 10A
Ice wreaks havoc on local activities Page 1B
Ice slipped slowly off the roof of Azle First United Methodist Church’s family life center Monday afternoon, as if reminding us all to be patient. A highly anticipated Tuesday warmup was weak at best; Azle schools remained closed on Wednesday due to poor road conditions as well as a broken water main at Azle High School. Photo by Carla Noah Stutsman
Holy seismicity Earthquake equipment headed for Azle BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN Although earthquakes in the Azle, Reno, and Springtown areas seem to have decreased somewhat in frequency, they do not appear to be losing strength. A 3.6 magnitude quake woke many folks from slumber at 12:10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. At the time, it had been about five days since a quake had occurred. On Tuesday, Dec. 10, numerous area residents reported they felt a mild quake around 9:45 a.m. At 4:15 p.m., the United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed a 2.7 magnitude occurred between Windjammer Lane and Top Gallant Court – pretty much smack dab in the middle of Oak Harbor Estates, arguably Azle’s most affluent neighborhood. Also, the largest of all 20-plus quakes that have occurred in the area since the shaking began Nov. 5 was recorded Monday, Dec. 9, at 3:23 a.m. about 11 miles north-northeast of Mineral Wells. It registered a magnitude of 3.7. The Mayor of Azle, Alan Brundrett, con-
firmed Tuesday that USGS has shipped four seismographs to the Huffington Department of Earth Sciences at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, from which a team will be dispatched to Azle to install the equipment. Brundrett explained that after city officials contacted Congresswoman Kay Granger, she put them in contact with W.L. “Bill” Ellsworth, an earthquake expert with USGS. During a conference call with Ellsworth, they learned the Azle area quakes were already under scrutiny by the agency at its headquarters in California. “Ellsworth said he had the equipment sitting on his desk and was getting it ready for shipment when we called,” Brundrett said. “It was already in his plan.” This week’s ice storm, coupled with the fact that almost everyone associated with the SMU earth science program is attending the American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco, have created delays in getting the seismographic equipment deployed into the area. PLEASE SEE SEISMOGRAPHIC, PAGE 2A.
Journey to Bethlehem Second annual production takes participants to Christ’s birth BY CARLA NOAH STUTSMAN again presents Journey to Bethlehem Friday, Following the success of its inaugural pro- Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-15 from 6-8:30 duction last year, First Baptist Church of Azle p.m. nightly. The church is located at 1017 Boyd Road in Azle and both parking and admission to the event are free and open to all. The interactive trip begins in the marketplace in Nazareth, where visitors will encounter vendors selling their wares. Then they’ll meet Gadiel and his family, who will lead them on an exciting and sometimes dangerous trip to Bethlehem. Along the way, they’ll encounter Roman soldiers, thieves, tax collectors, angels, and wise men before arriving in Bethlehem, where they are directed by the innkeeper to the stable behind the inn. Groups of 30 to 50 people at a time will take the journey, with as many as five groups at various places Gadiel and his family will be your tour guide on the Journey to Bethlehem. Photo by Carla Noah Stutsman
PLEASE SEE PRODUCTION, PAGE 4A.
Follow us on Twitter @TheAzleNews THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Do you play the lottery?
UIL releases biennial numbers early Azle stays in same classification level BY MARK K. CAMPBELL The numbers are out, but the districts aren’t. The University Interscholastic League (UIL) released its new alignment configuration and numbers on Dec. 2. While Azle remains among schools of the same size, the alteration of classifications means AISD will now compete against “5A” schools. It is really no change at all. Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, all UIL classifications will be bumped up one number. That’s because six-man will be called 1A. So 1A becomes 2A, etc. Azle will move from 4A to 5A. For the first time ever, there will be a 6A in Texas. Every two years, Texas schools turn in a “snapshot” of school attendance. Last October, Azle’s number was 1,688. With the UIL’s 5A conference span being 1,060 to 2,099, Azle
is safely in the middle of the pack. And that’s good news, athletic director Scott Anderson said. “The numbers keep going up every two years. Not too long ago, we were concerned with going up to 5A – now 6A – when the number was in the high 1,800s,” he said. “Now we are pretty much in the middle.” Biennially, the UIL creates four regions comprised of a variety of districts. Those district listings for football and basketball are released the first Monday of every other February, the third in 2014. There’s great anticipation biennially to see which schools yours will be paired with. (The UIL will release district alignments for other activities in the order of their seasons, an Austin release said.) This December release of the classification numbers early has not affected that great day of mystery in February, however. Anderson said, “You would think it might give you a better
idea of what your new district will look like, but we could go in any direction.” That was proven in the most recent realignment when Azle was shipped off to Denton and Wichita Falls schools. And, incredibly, even longer trips could await if the UIL so says. Aside from the Wichita Falls schools – Old High and Rider will be 5A like Azle – two other 5A West Texas schools are out on a limb. “Abilene Cooper and San Angelo Lake View are out there with no obvious place to go,” Anderson said. Still, the release of the span of classifications was a positive, Anderson said. “I think it was a great idea to release the cutoffs early,” he noted. “It will definitely keep most schools from having to scramble [with schedules] in February.” And maybe plot out the fastest route to Abilene and San Angelo.
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Next fall, could this Hornet scoreboard list foes like Cougars (Abilene Cooper) or Chiefs (San Angelo Lake View) on it? That’s not out of the realm of possibility thanks to the reclassification numbers released by the UIL. Photo by Mark K. Campbell
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