DISABLED VETERANS PROPERTY TAX RELIEF REACHES FINAL PASSAGE

AUSTIN — After passage of legislation to grant property tax relief for disabled veterans, Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson (District 56-Waco) expressed gratitude for our veterans' service and for their sacrifice to this great state and nation.

"There was legislative wrangling on other issues this session that has delayed this specific bill, but perseverance and continuing effort resulted in a final unanimous vote," said Rep. Anderson.

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Texas lawmaker pushes to criminalize hallucinogenic drug salvia
August 14, 2008
The Dallas Morning News

MESQUITE — A Republican lawmaker from Waco is driving a campaign to criminalize salvia, an herb that can be bought legally but used as a powerful hallucinogenic drug.

"Parents are totally oblivious to what is going on," Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson said Thursday at a public hearing about the drug.

Mr. Anderson introduced a bill during the 2007 legislative session to criminalize the drug, but it failed to get out of committee. When the Legislature meets again in January, he plans to introduce a new bill that would at least make it a misdemeanor to possess the drug.

At the meeting he passed around a colorful 20 milligram package of "Purple Sticky salvia" that sells for $20.99.

"It looks pretty innocuous," Mr. Anderson said. "You think it's a benign product."

Legal in most other states, salvia is available for purchase in at least a half dozen locations in the Dallas area, according to local retailers.

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Local landfill a green energy
source for Mars factory
July 10, 2008

Methane gas from city landfill powers Waco snack food plant. As part of a company-wide effort to reduce its environmental footprint around the world, Mars, Incorporated is striving to make its operations more sustainable at every level.

As a recent example, one of the company’s largest U.S. snack food plants located in Waco, Texas has converted 60% of its heating fuel source from natural gas to methane gas harvested from the city landfill. With enough supply to power the plant’s boilers for the next 25 years, Mars is significantly reducing its carbon footprint and production costs.

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