The Plainsman Press - South Plains College

This is what Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and Independent candidate for governor, has to say about herself and her politics.

A native Texan, Strayhorn is currently running for the independent candidate spot for governor on the November ballot for the 2006 Texas legislature elections. A solid southerner, Strayhorn proudly projects the “one tough grandma” image that was given to her by her supporters.

“I’m one tough grandma when it comes to protecting education, our most precious resource for our kids,” Keeton said in a recent interview. “Now, really, I’m a soft-touch grandma when it comes to my own granddaughters.”

Strayhorn was in San Antonio recently to speak to college journalists and faculty from across the state at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association annual convention. She was the keynote speaker for the Hall of Fame luncheon.

Strayhorn has accomplished much in her career, and has been able to leave her mark in Texas history by achieving many “firsts” for Texas women. Among these are that she was the first woman president of the Austin school board, the first woman president of the Austin Community College board of trustees, the first woman mayor of Austin, and the first woman to be elected Texas Railroad Commissioner.

Strayhorn was once a public school teacher and holds education at the top of her priorities.

“My top three platforms are education, education, and education… Nothing is more important than education,” Strayhorn said. “The only way you’re going to make education number one is you have got to remove this governor.”

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Plainsman Press Staffers Win Awards at TIPA Conference

by Ray Buffington, editor-in-chief

Members of the Plainsman Press, the campus newspaper of South Plains College, brought home 10 awards from the 2006 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association annual convention.

The convention was held April 5-April 8 in San Antonio, and featured 505 participants from two-year colleges and four-year universities across the state.

Colleges and universities are divided into divisions based on enrollment and frequency of publication. SPC was placed in Division IV, along with Austin Community College, El Paso Community College, Richland College, University of Texas at Dallas, Brookhaven College, Eastfield College, Houston Clear Lake, and University of Texas at Tyler.

Ray Buffington, a sophomore from Lubbock, won first place for Single Subject Page Design, second place for Feature Story, and Honorable Mention for News Story and Feature Page Design.

Buffington is a print journalism major and is currently serving as editor-in-chief of the Plainsman Press.

Jacob Tucker, a sophomore from Paducah, won first place for Feature Story.

Tucker is a print journalism and public relations major, and has the role of feature editor of the Plainsman Press.

Jared Owens, a sophomore from Lubbock, won second place for Sports Column and an Honorable Mention for Sports Feature.

Owens is a print journalism major and writes sports for the Plainsman Press.

Plainsman Press Staffers Win Awards at TIPA Conference

by Ray Buffington, editor-in-chief