An upstairs dance club and bar at Bonham Exchange. Readers agree, Bonham Exchange should fulfill their obligations as a business and install the required fire sprinkler system.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Hold Bonham responsible
Re: “Bonham Exchange left with big tab,” Front Page, Sunday:
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It may have been overly enthusiastic of Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones offering to help Bonham Exchange raise money for its sprinklers, but where is the responsibility of the business?
Other restaurants seem able to do the right thing without whining in public that they can’t fulfill their civic duty.
Give Jones a break, thank her for asking Silver Ventures to help, and make the Bonham Exchange owners meet their legal obligations.
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Treat Bonham as a biz
The Bonham Exchange building and operation is owned by a nonprofit foundation. They operate a competitive bar and nightclub business similar to many others in our community.
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Yet, they file an abridged tax return.
Why are they not subject to the same tax regulations as all the other similar businesses. Why should any contributions made for their required sprinkler system be a tax-deductible contribution?
A business is a business and should be treated as such.
Bill Lyons, downtown business owner
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A ninth grader places his cellphone into a phone holder as he enters class. House Bill 1481 is clear: Student cellphone use is prohibited on campus from the first bell to the last, a reader says.
Rick Bowmer/Associated Press
Drop cellphone fight
Re: “TEA wants conservator for NEISD,” Front Page, Saturday:
After the Texas Education Agency announced plans to install a conservator over North East Independent School District’s superintendent and Board of Trustees, it is astonishing that some board members still claim House Bill 1481 is ambiguous and that the district is somehow exempt from state law.
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NEISD, like every public school district in Texas, is bound by Texas law.
HB1481 is clear: Student cellphone use is prohibited on campus from the first bell to the last. NEISD stands alone in straining to manufacture ambiguity where none exists.
More importantly, this dispute distracts from the central issue. Teachers need students’ attention at the start of class. When students arrive distracted by their phones, learning suffers.
A consistent prohibition restores focus and helps curb cyber bullying and social media misuse during school hours.
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The cost of this unnecessary litigation is equally troubling.
NEISD’s own counsel estimates an additional $50,000 to $100,000 may be spent — funds that should go to classrooms, not courtrooms.
NEISD’s leadership should end this litigation, comply with HB1481, and finally put students and teachers first.
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Powerful men signal end
Waymo and the new Robotaxi service are both owned and controlled by two of the richest corporations in the world, Alphabet Inc. (Google) and Tesla.
That means human-controlled taxis will compete with trillion dollar corporations using artificial intelligence controlled machines.
A free and open media would be talking about this, but it’s silent.
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When the richest men in the world have this much power, the end is in sight.