Go online to watch a From rappers to getting word of the

loomed to reach consensus on sticking points tha

Jackson slideshow and barbers, residents King of Pop’s passing,
includes guest workers and legal status for the es
his most famous music videos, here are shocked at E-N columnist felt like timated 12 million unauthorized immigrants who
sign an online guestbook and tell the news of Jackson’s he’d received a punch already are here. June 26, 2009
us your favorite Jackson memory. death. Page 6A to the gut. Page 6A “It’s going to require some heavy lifting, it’s going
to require a victory of practicality and common
A SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS F R I D AY , J U N E 2 6 , 2 0 0 9
GETTY IMAGES See OBAMA/8A

Salvation
BAILOUTS Army celebrates
what about all the other make “frugal and wise de-
districts out here that are cisions not to,” she said.
struggling and don’t have Lawmakers must study
Iranian
ONTINUED FROM 1A

ery exemption.”
six lives taking new paths
the optional homestead ex- all the variables that cause
emption?” different funding gaps and
Folks said he has no par- inequity, she said.
protest
The optional homestead
BY JAMIE KLEINticular beef with Cy-Fair, nowhereFor else example,
to turn. She the was
San Gus Shakhi (center) and
emption [email protected]
in an whose Superintendent addicted Da- Antonio to crack Independent
and living
nual tax break of about vid Anthony is his friend. School District would get other members of the
with a violent man she couldn’t
08 for every $100,000 Without the “I Salvation
understand Armythe, fact
leave $77 million she
— though more per and
tried year San Antonio Iranian
orth of home Elaine value.
Shandthatsaid
theyshemay have
would bea bud-
tried. with the same
He always per-student
found her, or
early 200 Texasdead. school get she’s
issue,sober
but and
all aschool funding else that
community hold a silent
Instead, had someone find her.Alamo
stricts offer the certified
optional medical
districtslaboratory
are having as-budgetLastHeights
year, he gets,
told asaid
friendSteve
he vigil in front of the Alamo
mestead tax exemption.
sistant — aissues rightthat
turnaround now,”
was Folks Bassett,
was going chief
to cut herfinancial
throat and of-
one in Bexar County do. Thursday
said. . ficer
to mourn the loss of free-
honored rip out her for
eyes.the San Antonio
All Texas schoolThe dis-Salvation
The ArmyTexas saved
Education district. dom in Iran. Metro, 1B
cts are requiredShand
to pro-when Agency ended
she said sheuphad
with sur- The San Antonio school
See LIVES/8A
de the standard home- plus funds to spend be- board would love to offer JENNIFER WHITNEY/[email protected]
ead exemption, which cause property values the extra homestead tax
nocks $15,000 off the val- statewide grew faster than break, he said.

Action galore
of a home for school projected and student en- “But as a low revenue
xing purposes. Mmmm-mmmm good Once is not enough
rollment grew slower, said district, we cannot afford
The education commis- Lisa Dawn-Fisher, the to do Lawmakers
The fare at fruterías — sweet fruit so. Perhapsareif called
there back for a JENNIFER WHITNEY/[email protected]

oner’s decision to toppedhelp with chiledirector

agency’s powder — of offers
schoola was state specialaidsession to this
to offset state Shand (left)That’s
keep key Elaine what toNelson
and Barbara expectchange
from “Transformers:
Nelson’s baby, Hannah Newlife, after the
hool districts withchilly the treat.
finance.
S.A. Life, 1F every agencies
year, then we could
operating. Metro, graduation
1B ceremony at the
Revenge ofSalvation
the Fallen.” Army Hope Center.
Weekender
tional homestead ex- Under state law, the pursue offering this ex-
mption will give cash- commissioner’s limited op- emption to our taxpayers,”

Weather Index LIVES

Business 1C Deaths 4B Metro/State 1B S.A. Life 1F
rapped Cypress-Fair- tions for spending HIGH surplus
LOW Bassett said. Give back to your

100 78
nks ISD in the Houston funds include helping dis- Mostly sunny Classified 1E Drive 1G Movies 3H Sports 1D community! Keyword:
FullHouse Public Education
info, 10D Comics 5F Editorials 6B Puzzles I don’t know where to start,
5F TV listings 4F Do Good
ea $6.2 million. tricts with declining prop- Chairman Rob Eissler, R- D

Scott, at the urging of erty values and subsidiz- The Woodlands, and Sen. CONTINUED FROM 1A but I’m going to start
ate Sen. Dan Patrick, R- ing those with optional John Whitmire, D-Hous-
ouston, took advantage homestead exemptions, ton, both said they expect The police arrested him
somewhere.”
a little-known and rare- she said. legislators will review the in Killeen, where they BARBARA NELSON
invoked state law that The money also could 10-year-old law, which has lived, and Shand, 51, talking about her college hopes
ows him to spend state flow back to the state’s only been used once or caught the next bus to San
oney subsidizing dis- general revenue fund. twice. Antonio. pating in one branch of vocation and benediction.
cts such as Cy-Fair that Sen. Leticia Van de “I promise you it will She arrived with noth- the Village Program’s two- After the ceremony, Nel-
ant an optional home- Putte, D-San Antonio, said get more attention now,” ing and nowhere to go. year transitional housing son, one of the honorees,
ead exemption. lawmakers specifically de- added Whitmire, who rep- She eventually found her program. held her 5-week-old baby,
That law, passed in 1999, cided not to give special resents Cy-Fair and other way to the Salvation Ar- Stepping Forward focus- Hannah Newlife, close to
w is drawing criticism help for school districts districts that don’t offer my. es on homeless single her. Several friends
om some school leaders that provide the extra tax the optional exemption. A graduation ceremony mothers while Shining stopped by her chair to
ho say it’s unfair for the break. “I’m not going to fault the for six women Thursday Star helps chronically wish her congratulations
ate to help certain dis- “We purposely did not Cypress people for looking at the Salvation Army homeless single women. and admire her child.
cts while leaving behind make them whole in the for relief, but there are Hope Center lasted a mere New Start is for homeless After a bad marriage, a
e 80 percent without the school finance bill,” she 1,000-plus school districts 35 minutes, but it meant women hoping to continue stint of life in the clubs
tional exemption. said. “This just adds to the that often are in similar months of struggle and their educations or pursue and a suicide attempt, Nel-
“It’s a little puzzling to inequity . . . I am really situations. We need to as- hardship for each of them. vocational training. All of son found the Salvation
e,” Northside Superin- concerned and upset.” sist everyone.” Barbara Nelson, 29; Se- the transitional residen- Army on Nov. 8, 2008 — a
ndent John Folks said. “I Helping school districts brena Davis, 46; and Ash- tial programs offer free day she said she’ll never
nderstand (districts that that provide bigger tax Houston Chronicle Staff Writ- ley Skogg, 19, were recog- transportation and child forget.
ovide the extra tax breaks punishes others er Ericka Mellon reported nized with Shand. Two care. Monica Palos, a case
eak) have a problem, but that would like to but from Houston. others asked not to be Delilah Marquez, direc- manager with New Start,
identified for security rea- tor of the Emergency said Nelson always was
sons. Family Shelter, said any- optimistic and persistent.
“I gave my life to God one with a will to change “She always went (to

OBAMA trip up progress on overall the House or Senate.

reform. House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi, D-Calif., told report-
and came here eventual- their living situation can. her classes), and would
ly,” Shand said to about 50 “Our intention is not bring GED practice mate-
people at the ceremony. only to benefit the gradu- rial back and she’d prac-
ONTINUED FROM 1A Not enough votes ers on Capitol Hill that the “They’ve helped me ates, but for their peers to tice,” Palos said. “I’m very
But even before the “Senate will go first.” change my whole life.” know about the crisis of proud of her because she
nse and good policymak- meeting, Rahm Emanuel, “But we are ready to Shand is part of the homelessness,” Marquez was pregnant the entire
g over short-term poli- the White House chief of have this debate,” Pelosi New Start program, one of said. “Education can still time and never com-
s,” Obama said. staff, told reporters that said. three services under the be accomplished. We want plained.”
Obama said he’s encour- Democrats didn’t have the Village Program, which to let others know that Nelson’s goal was to get
ed “that after all the votes to pass an immigra- Obama criticized helps homeless women there are opportunities, her GED before the baby
erheated rhetoric and tion reform bill now. Some Republicans have gain independence. and you can take advan- arrived. Sure enough, the
casional demagoguery “One of the reasons criticized the president for Upon entering the pro- tage of them.” child was born the day af-
all sides around this is- you’re having a meeting is not presenting a legislative gram, each woman met The celebration also fea- ter Nelson was awarded
e, we’ve got a responsib- the votes aren’t there,” he plan to Congress. with a counselor and set tured a group of 10 to 12 her GED.
set of leaders sitting said. Sen. John Cornyn, R- goals for herself. Thurs- students from Houston In the future, Nelson
ound the table who want White House and legisla- Texas, the ranking Repub- day, the women were ac- who came on a yearly mis- wants to go to college and
actively get something tive leaders said the legis- lican on the Senate Judici- knowledged for obtaining sion trip to the Salvation become a registered
ne.” lative calendar is crowded ary subcommittee on im- a medical or nursing certi- Army. nurse.
“My administration is with a Supreme Court migration, said that with- fication, a diploma or a On Thursday, the group “I don’t know where to
lly behind an effort to nomination, health care out a bill or legislative GED, thereby completing members sang and helped start, but I’m going to
hieve comprehensive reform and energy legisla- blueprint, the White one of their goals. set up tables. Their pastor, start somewhere,” she
mmigration reform,” tion. House meeting was merely Each woman is partici- Dave Wilson, gave the in- said.
bama said after meeting The push for immigra- a “photo op.”
th 34 lawmakers and tion reform also comes as Others, like Rep. Lamar
abinet officials in the economists forecast dou- Smith of San Antonio, the
ate Dinning Room at the ble-digit inflation by year’s ranking Republican on the
hite House. end. House Judiciary Commit-
Obama appointed Home- White House aides said tee, called the meeting
nd Security Secretary a compromise could be substantive but questioned
net Napolitano to lead reached that would allow the administration’s com-
partisan, bicameral Congress to pass a bill late mitment to worksite en-