With an estimated 50 percent of teachers leaving the profession within their first five years of work, it´s all the more important for school districts to start new teachers off on the right foot. The Temple Independent School District, along with most schools in Texas, participate in district-wide mentoring programs, aimed at pairing first-year teachers with experienced veteran teachers, helping them out with the everyday growing pains of commanding a classroom.

BELTON - A 16-year-old, who police say was involved in a fatal shooting last week at a Temple apartment complex, would either be certified to be tried as an adult or would be a candidate for what is called determinant sentencing if tried and convicted in the juvenile justice system. John Gauntt Jr., assistant county attorney, explained Wednesday that a determinant sentence is an option for the most serious juvenile cases where the person is not tried as an adult. Such a sentence may run between 10 and 40 years.

BELTON - The Bell County Museum will host an exhibit of original etchings and woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt van Rign in the summer of 2009. “We´re fortunate we are able to bring this exhibit here,” said Stephanie Turnham, museum director. “Not many people get to see a Rembrandt or Dürer in their lifetime.”

The Temple City Council could announce the location of a proposed new Central Fire Station today during its 5 p.m. regular meeting in the Municipal Building. The council will meet in executive session to consider purchase of land in the downtown area for the station, which was approved as part of a $14 million May bond election.

Some residents on Oak Hills Drive and others in town are hitting bumps along the road and do not like it. David Krcha, a Oak Hills Drive resident, said speed humps went up on his street about a month ago and he did not have a voice in the decision.

Nineteen times during the 2006 and 2007 high school football seasons, teams from Temple´s District 13-5A played squads from 14-5A, a league that included four Round Rock schools plus Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown and Pflugerville. Nineteen times, including eight games in the Class 5A state playoffs, those 13-5A teams lost to 14-5A foes.

BELTON - It´s become a situation all too familiar for the Belton football team. Just when the Tigers´ offense seems to find its groove while marching down the field, it eventually runs into a roadblock and comes away with nothing to show for its efforts.

NEW YORK - So little to separate them in their careers, so little to separate them on this night. Serena Williams barely got the better of older sister Venus Williams in a U.S. Open quarterfinal that was fit for a final, coming back in each set to win 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7) Wednesday night and break a tie in their head-to-head series.

CHICAGO - Randy Wolf´s first shutout in more than four years gave the Houston Astros another lift in their impressive late-season surge. Wolf pitched a six-hitter Wednesday night and the Astros ran their latest winning streak to eight games with a 4-0 victory over the slumping Chicago Cubs, who´ve lost a season-high five in a row.