Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/441116
ByPaulJ.Weber The Associated Press PASADENA, TEXAS When the movie "Urban Cowboy" made this refinery town fa- mous in 1980, the honky- tonk Gilley's was booming and wannabe cowpokes from the white Houston suburbs flocked here to drink and dance. Houston was the big city, but Pasa- dena was for kicks. Today Pasadena is a mostly working-class His- panic suburb that looks as hard-ridden in some pock- ets as the mechanical bull that bucked John Travolta. Gilley's burned down years ago. Now a federal lawsuit accuses the town's white councilmembers of lead- ing a discriminatory plan to turn back the clock. Pasadena is preparing to change the makeup of its city council in a way that city fa- thers hope fosters new devel- opment, but that some His- panics allege dilutes their influence. The case could be- come a test of the Supreme Court ruling last year that struck down most of the fed- eral Voting Rights Act, giv- ing cities in many Southern states new latitude to change election laws affecting mi- norities without first getting federal approval. "Clearly it was racism," said Pasadena Councilman Ornaldo Ybarra, one of two Hispanics on Pasadena's eight-member council, about the town's planned council changes. The campaign for a new voting system "was meant to scare Anglos, and it was effective," he said. In Pasadena, which is roughly 60 percent His- panic, voters approved a referendum that replaces two city council seats rep- resenting districts with at- large seats, which Hispanic leaders say will negate their growing population num- bers. The new format was proposed by the mayor, who is white, in July 2013, one month after the high court decision. The mayor and support- ers insist the new format will bring more participa- tion by all Pasadena resi- dents because they'll have more to vote for. They note that other cities, includ- ing Houston, have at-large council members. The change comes as city leaders are pressing for more investment to boost the local economy. Sup- porters say at-large council members are more likely to consider a city's larger in- terests than the concerns of individual districts. Since its Gilley's hey- day, Pasadena's cachet has gradually been swallowed by newer, more affluent suburbs. Well-paid refin- ery hands and white-col- lar downtown commuters moved away, and whites are now mostly concen- trated in Pasadena's south side. Gilley's old address is now a used-car lot. Even the ground under the aging city hall building is sinking. To turn things around, the mayor and allies are angling for new entertain- ment district that could in- clude a dance hall on the south side. The council could move forward on the idea after the new voting system takes effect follow- ing elections in May. But Ybarra and some other residents say they fear the projects will cost money needed for improving ser- vices in the city's low-in- come neighborhoods. "If it doesn't work out, then the city is left with a vacant building. The city is already full of vacant build- ings," said Jennifer Halvor- son, 40, a lifelong Pasadena resident, about the pros- pects of another dance hall. Mayor Johnny Isbell de- clined to discuss the law- suit. But Pat Riley, a for- mer mayor pro-tem, said the change in council seats won't prevent Hispanic res- idents from making their wishes known. "I don't think it's taken anything away from them. If that's the case, why can't they run somebody they want in there and vote for them?" said Riley, who moved to Pasadena in 1942 and recalled having just one Hispanic in her high school class. Some Hispanics fear that wealthier white can- didates will have the upper hand in at-large races that demand costlier citywide campaigns. Suing the city on behalf of five Hispanic residents is the Mexican American Le- gal Defense and Education Fund, which also took Texas to court over the state's new voter ID law. Since the Supreme Court ruling last year, most atten- tion has focused on state- wide-voting changes made in some of the 15 states cov- ered by the Voting Rights Act, which was passed dur- ing the Civil Rights era. The Pasadena case is one of the first involving a city. TEXAS Texascityemergesasnew battleground on voting rights DAVIDJ.PHILLIP—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Pasadena City Councilman Ornaldo Ybarra talks about the district lines in his community. Pasadena is preparing to change the makeup of its city council in a way that city fathers hope fosters new development, but that some Hispanics allege dilutes their influence. HARRY HAMBURG — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada walks on Capitol Hill in Washington. By Charles Babington The Associated Press WASHINGTON Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid broke several ribs and facial bones when a piece of exercise equip- ment snapped at his Ne- vada home Thursday, causing the lawmaker to fall. In a statement issued Friday, Reid's office said the 75-year-old senator was hospitalized over- night at University Medi- cal Center in Las Vegas as a precaution and was re- leased on Friday. His se- curity detail had initially taken Reid to St. Rose Do- minican Hospital near his home in Henderson, Ne- vada. The accident happened when an elastic exercise band broke, striking Reid in the face and causing him to fall, said spokes- man Adam Jentleson. Reid struck some equipment as he fell, breaking multiple bones near his right eye. As he hit the floor, he broke several ribs, Jentle- son said. Tests found no internal bleeding, Jentleson said, and his vision should not be affected. "Senator Reid will re- turn to Washington this weekend and be in the of- fice Tuesday as the Senate prepares to reconvene," his office said. "His doctors ex- pect a full recovery." Jentleson said Reid is likely to have severe facial bruises. President Barack Obama, vacationing in Ha- waii, phoned Reid on Fri- day to wish him well, the White House said. Reid, majority leader since 2007, will hand over the top job in the Senate next week to Republican Mitch McConnell of Ken- tucky after Democrats lost their majority in Novem- ber's midterm elections. Reid faces a potentially tough re-election cam- paign in 2016. In May 2011, Reid dislo- cated a shoulder and suf- fered a contusion above his left eye when he slipped af- ter an early morning run in the rain. He fell when he leaned against a parked car. In October 2012, Reid suffered rib and hip con- tusions in a chain-reaction car crash. Reid has run marathons and was a boxer as a young man. Reid suffers broken ribs, facial bones in accident SENATE LEADER By Frazier Moore The Associated Press NEW YORK Donna Doug- las, who played the buxom tomboy Elly May Clampett on the hit 1960s sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies," has died. Her niece says Douglas died Thursday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, near her hometown of Zachary. The cause of death was pancre- atic cancer, Charlene Smith said. Douglas was 82. She was best known for her role in "The Beverly Hillbillies," the CBS comedy about a backwoods Ozark family who moved to Bev- erly Hills after striking it rich from oil discovered on their land. The series, which ran from 1962 to 1971, also starred the late Buddy Eb- sen and Irene Ryan as well as Max Baer Jr., who turns 77 on Sunday. As Elly May, she seemed blissfully unaware of her status as a bumpkin blond bombshell. Typically she was clad in a snug flan- nel shirt and tight jeans cinched with a rope belt, and she seemed to prefer her critters to any beau. Chosen from more than 500 other actresses, Doug- las said she felt at ease play- ing the role because, like her character, she grew up a poor Southern tomboy. Her childhood in Pride, Louisi- ana, came in handy when she was asked during her audition to milk a goat. "I had milked cows be- fore," she recalled in a 2009 interview. "I figured they were equipped the same, so I just went on over and did it." The show was not only assailed by critics, but by the network president who put it on the air: "I HATED it," Michael Dann confided much later. "After screening the pilot, I don't think I ever watched another segment." The public, however, felt quite the opposite: It ran for nine seasons, often in the Top 10. In their own way, the Clampetts were a forerunner of the '60s counterculture. It wasn't much of a stretch for Douglas to fit into the troupe, said her cousin, Charlene Smith. "She was always happy, and she really loved animals — just like her character on 'The Beverly Hillbillies.' She was a wonderful lady, a very good Christian lady." Indeed, when Douglas gave her autograph, she included a biblical verse ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart..."), accord- ing to New Orleans TV sta- tion WAFB. Douglas' career began with beauty pageants — she was Miss Baton Rouge and Miss New Orleans — followed by a trip to New York to pursue a career in entertainment. She landed a featured role in the 1959 film "Career," starring Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine, and a bit part in the film musical "Li'l Abner." She also had a small role as Tony Randall's sec- retary in the 1961 romantic comedy "Lover Come Back" with Rock Hudson and Do- ris Day. After "The Beverly Hill- billies," Douglas worked in real estate, recorded coun- try and gospel music al- bums and wrote a book for children that drew on bib- lical themes. OBITUARY 'B ev er ly H il lb il li es ' st ar Donna Douglas dead at 82 BILL HABER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Donna Douglas, who starred in the television series "The Beverly Hillbillies," holds a publicity picture of herself from the show, in Baton Rouge, La. Corning's Annual Community Resource Guide N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 PublishDate:Thursday,January29,2015 2015 10% OFF your ad in each section when you buy an ad in Corning 2015 & Red Bluff 2015 Corning is on the map! Put your business on the map with it! 20,000 + readership! 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