The Hansford County Reporter-Statesman

The Hansford County Reporter-Statesman has proudly served Hansford County for more than 100 years. We publish weekly, on Thursday. We are proud to carry that tradition Hansford County into the next century with our online presence at www.spearmanreporter.com.

The Hansford Investigator was established by owner Judge A.E. Townsend in the early part of 1907 in Hansford. The newspaper changed hands several times before being purchased by Oran Mills Kelly in 1917. After moving to Spearman in the 1920s, the newspaper was renamed The Spearman Reporter. Kelly served as a director of the Panhandle Press Association and was president in 1927. In April 1932 W.J. Miller became the editor-manager, working for the Nunn-Warren Corp., 13 years before purchasing the business. His wife, Eddie, and two children Elizabeth and Billy, helped out. Upon his death in 1966 Billy became editor-publisher. Billy purchased The Hansford Plainsman and The Gruver Statesman, which combined to form The Hansford County Reporter-Statesman in 1990. Billy Miller sold the papers to Texas Independent Newspapers in April 1987. Current owners and operators Gary and Catherine Smith purchased the business in January 1996.

Here are a few quick facts about Spearman, Texas:

    * Spearman was named after railroad vice president, Thomas E. Spearman.

    * In 1934, Colonel Charles Lindbergh (famous aviator) and his wife Ann Morrow stopped outside of Spearman to get some fuel for a trip. Ten years earlier, Lindbergh had crashed a plane into a hardware store near Camp Wood, Texas. The event received a historical marker that is located at .4 miles south of 13th Ave. and SH 207.

    * Spearman has approximately 3,000 citizens.

    * Visitors often check out the site of the Battle of Adobe Walls, the Rolling Plains Mule Train Association, the Stationmaster’s House Museum, and the J.B. Buchanan Windmill Collection that are located in Spearman.

1. Use newspapers to stuff things. For example, newspapers make excellent stuffing for such things as a scarecrow on Halloween or as fake appendages or body parts for a costume. To do this, just open up a section of newspaper, and take one sheet and scrunch it up into a ball. Then gently stuff it into the pantyhose, sock, tube or other item to fill.

2. Use newspapers to cover tables and floors when painting a picture, or when kids do crafts or art projects. Take advantage of layers, as using several layers will increase the protection of the surface in case of spills. It also allows you to remove stained layers and reveal fresh layers beneath.

3. Wash windows with newspaper. Just tear into strips of about 3 inches (7.5cm) in width and ball these up. Use as you would normally use a paper towel. The advantage of a newspaper is that it will not leave lint on your window or mirror. (Ink may come off onto your hands and any adjoining lightly painted surfaces. Simply wipe off with water if that happens or wash your hands with soap.)

4. Use newspaper in papier mâché projects. There are endless possibilities here, from piggy banks to piñatas.

5. Make origami out of newspaper. Or use smaller sheets of newspaper to make paper airplanes.

6. Use newspaper for scrapbooking. Just be aware that the ink may rub off onto the next page, so a protective page cover is probably a good idea. This can be a neat way of saving clippings with a lot of personal meaning, such as photos or stories about family achievements in sport, college and professional life.

7. In similar vein to the scrapbooking, keep a binder full of articles you like best, dramatic changes noted in the news, or anything else you're interested in keeping. These are memories. And when the pages start fading over time, take digital photos of them and store them in electronic form.

8. Make a collage with articles or pictures you find in the paper. With colored pictures you can make the item very colorful or avoid those and keep the collage theme black and white.

9. Make a hat. Paper hats can be useful for party wear, costumes and just for cheering up a bored child.

10. Make a boat. A paper boat easily stays afloat.

11. Make a small cup to start seeds for your garden. You can place the cup with the seedling directly in the ground and newspaper will degrade by itself.

12. Paste the newspapers on the window pane for protection from the sunlight. This should only be a temporary measure as it doesn't look very nice but it can be helpful while someone is convalescing or to protect a pet such as a bird, etc. or a plant from getting too much sunlight, at least until you can get around to buying a proper window dressing.

13. Use newspaper to wrap anything (for gifts, use colored comic pages or the colored inserts that come with a newspaper, such as the weekend news magazine). If you're particularly artistic, it is possible to make newspaper wrapping look really cool, including ribbons, nature items, yarn or string, etc. For children, this type of wrapping is a really easy and fun way to learn how to wrap a gift, especially since there is no worry about ripping because it's easily fixed with a new piece.

14. Use newspaper in the packing as a cushion for delicate items. Newspaper is very versatile when it comes to packing because it can be laid out flat in layers for shock absorption, scrunched up to fill spaces and to stop items from moving or hitting one another and it can be wrapped directly around fragile items to protect them as they're moved. Newspaper can also be used to protect surfaces that you're using to pack things on.

15. Make a light ball for playing with kids or your pet. Simply scrunch it up and toss. When the fun's over, recycle the balls.

16. Use newspaper for lining the bottom of your bird's cage. This is easy to change every day and stops you from having to clean the base of the cage every single time.

17. Use it as a mattress of sorts. At least, newspaper can be laid down anywhere to cover a dirty surface if you're intending to nap or sleep somewhere out of the ordinary, such as during a road trip or when camping out in the Black Friday queues!

18. Make a woven sit-upon. This can be made up for sitting upon at concerts, festivals and anywhere else that you managed to forget to bring along a comfortable seat. The newspaper will insulate you from the ground cold, so it's a great quick fix: Simply take about 20 sheets of newspaper (make it an even amount). Make 10 strips by folding as outlined next. First, layer two sheets of newspaper at a time, then fold each long edge to the center and crease, then fold the edge to the center again. Repeat until you have ten even strips. Lay five strips lengthwise in evenly spaced positions. Then weave the five remaining strips widthwise using and over one strip, under one strip weaving method. As you weave, keep pushing the strips in close together to keep them near and straightened. When done, adjust to ensure even length. Tuck in the ends by folding the end over the outside strip and tucking it back into the weaving. Do one side, then flip over and tuck in the loose ends on the other side. It's now ready to sit on. If you want it to be more durable, it will need to be sprayed with an acrylic finish but if it's just an ad hoc fix for the day, simply recycle it after use. Just be aware that the ink may rub off on clothing unless it's sealed. You could try hairspray too, to keep the ink from rubbing off on you once the hairspray dries.

TAC Campaign - 20 year Anniversary retrospective montage "Everybody Hurts" music by REM TV ad

On December 10th 1989 the first TAC commercial went to air. In that year the road toll was 776; by last year 2008 it had fallen to 303.

A five minute retrospective of the road safety campaigns produced by the TAC over the last 20 years has been compiled. The montage features iconic scenes and images from commercials that have helped change they way we drive, all edited to the moving song Everybody Hurts by REM.

This campaign is a chance to revisit some of the images that have been engraved on our memories, remember the many thousands of people who have been affected by road trauma and remind us all that for everyones sake; please, drive safely.

Transport Accident Commission Victoria.

http://www.tac.vic.gov.au