community service 2013

ater oes

Tackling a dwindlingwater supply

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BEEVILLEBEE-PICAYUNE

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Published by Beeville Publishing Company, Inc., 111 N. Washington St., Beeville, TX 78102. Periodicals postage paid at Beeville, Texas, and additional office. POSTMASTER: Send address change to Beeville Bee-Picayune, P.O. Box 10, Beeville, Texas 78104.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC. Any erroneous reflection upon the character, standing or reputation of any person, firm or corpora-tion which may appear in the Beeville Bee-Picayune, will gladly be corrected if it is brought to the attention of the publisher. The Bee-Picayune assumes no responsibil-ity for photographs left for publication.

Beeville Bee-PicayuneSection A, PAge 4wedneSdAy,feb. 22, 2012

Brinkoeters given warm tribute(Bee-PicayuneFeb. 22, 1962)

One hundred forty-five Farm Bureau officers and members attended the banquet given by District 10 Farm Bureau leaders in honor of H.C. (Fats) Brinkoeter at the Beeville County Club Tuesday night.

It was a tribute to the leadership and hard work Brinkoeter gave District 10 during the 12 years he served as its director, and Mrs. Brinkoeter, who cooperated with her hus-band in so many ways, also was an honoree.

Out of the total persons present, 53 were from counties other than Bee. Sidney Dean of Victoria, who succeeded Brinkoeter in November, served as master of ceremonies. The welcome was given by Bill Cude, president of the Bee County Farm Bureau.

The Paisanos, a local

musical combo comprised of Johnny Nelson, John Reagan, Jerry Stephenson and Colton Brinkoeter, furnished music for the event. Colton is the son of the honorees.

All churches of Bee County are being asked to pray for rain Sunday, announced the Rev. Calvin E. Namken, president of the Beeville Ministerial Alliance.

Fred C. Latcham Jr., publisher of the Bee-Picayune, and Jack Megason, farm news commentator for Radio Station KIBL, after talk-ing the matter over with businessmen and religious leaders, called Namken and requested that the churches sponsor a prayer-for-rain service Sunday.

Gov. Price Daniel has designated the week

of March 5-9 as Public Schools Week and has called upon the people of Texas to observe that peri-od by visiting the public schools. Tex Kassen, head of the athletics depart-ment of the Beeville ISD, has been named chairman of Public Schools Week in this city.

The Beeville Garden Club observed Arbor Day Tuesday by planting a fast-growing oak tree on the lawn of Fadden-McKeown-Chambliss Elementary School. Pictured plant-ing the tree were Thomas J. Pfeil, school principal; Mrs. Paul Schulz, presi-dent-elect of the Garden Club; Mrs. Archie Roberts, and Mrs. Ben Geisler.

Miss Joanne Baker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dewey V. Baker, and First Lt. Victor E. Barris, U.S. Marine Corps, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Barris of Montebello, Calif., were married in a candlelight service Saturday evening at First Baptist Church. Dr. B.C. Brown officiated the ceremony.

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Wallek of Olmos celebrated their golden wedding anni-versary Sunday, when a reception was given in their honor at the Tynan Recreation Hall.

Mr. and Mrs. L.E. Range of Skidmore were crowned king and queen of the Golden Age Club at Corpus Christi on Feb. 13.

The moon, if it could be manned, would be useful as a refueling station on interplanetary missions, said Col. Paul A. Campbell of the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps, at a joint meeting of the Beeville Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs at Hotel Kohler Tuesday noon.

– Chip Latcham

50 years ago

Redistricting solutions: One down, two to go

AUSTIN — Redistricting work con-tinued last week and one part of the puzzle was solved.

State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, on Feb. 15 announced an agree-ment with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott that will keep her Senate District 10 boundaries as they were in 2001, instead of the version state law-makers enacted last spring. Davis is plaintiff and Abbott defendant in one of three ongoing redistricting lawsuits. The GOP-dominated Legislature recon-figured SD-10 in a way that divided traditional communities of interest and would have made it nearly impossible for Davis, a freshman elected in 2008, to be re-elected.

On Feb. 17, state Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer, D-San Antonio, chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, released a statement alleging discrimi-nation against Latino and other minor-ity voters in the creation of the state House and congressional plans, and added, “As such, MALC cannot set aside its principles for the sake of expe-diency.”

So, still up in the air are Texas’ U.S. congressional and state House district maps, the subjects of two consolidated multi-plaintiff lawsuits, both known as Perez v. Texas. If settled, those sets of maps, along with the agreed-upon state Senate district map, still must be sub-mitted for preclearance in accordance with the U.S. Voting Rights Act. When or if that occurs, state party primaries could be set on a single date, and the path paved toward the picking of nomi-nees who will face each other in the November general election.

But likelihood of this time-consum-ing litigation was forewarned dur-ing the regular session of the Texas Legislature when Democrats, in the face of a Republican supermajority, pro-tested the drawing of maps that would not reflect the growth of minority popu-lations, and Latinos most pointedly, between Census 2000 and Census 2010.

Republican majorities in both houses of the state Legislature nevertheless pushed through House, Senate and congressional redistricting maps that sparked federal lawsuits, and those maps have been in litigation ever since.

Two weeks ago, Attorney General Abbott optimistically suggested that April primaries were still attainable. But, because of candidate filing periods and ballot printing deadlines — and because revised state House and U.S. congressional districts are not settled — and because the preclearance process through the U.S. Department of Justice and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will need to be satisfied — it may be late May before the primaries can be conducted.

It’s generally accepted that the ear-

lier a state’s primaries are conducted, the greater the influence on the presi-dential race because of momentum-building and fund-raising. But Texas’ high-stakes battles for increased rep-resentation between partisan and non-partisan constituencies have pushed the primaries later and later on the calendar. Some say that the power of the Texas vote is diminished or even nullified. But with its 36 congressional seats and a winner-takes-all rule on election night in November, the impor-tance of Texas can still pack a wallop in the presidential race.

Grading requirement on holdTexas Education Commissioner

Robert Scott last week announced his decision to allow school districts and charter schools not to implement a 15 percent grading requirement in the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness end-of-course examinations for the 2011-2012 school year.

The requirement, which would have made an end-of-course exam count as 15 percent of a student’s grade, was includ-ed in the Texas Legislature’s House Bill 3 enacted by the previous Legislature. The requirement was meant to enhance accountability, lawmakers said in 2009.

Scott said he made the decision to defer the requirement after receiving input from parents, educators, State Board of Education members, and stat-utory clarification from state leaders.

“For this school year, the ultimate decision whether to include end-of-course exam scores as part of course grades will be determined locally by school districts and charter schools,” Scott said.

Ames-Jones resigns to runTexas Railroad Commission

Chairwoman Elizabeth Ames-Jones of Austin resigned from office last week, the state agency that regulates oil and gas announced last week.

A former member of the Texas House of Representatives and an RRC mem-ber since 2005, Ames-Jones is running against long-term incumbent and fellow Republican state Sen. Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio for Senate District 25, which runs from San Antonio to Austin. The district includes parts of Travis and Bexar counties and Kendall, Comal, Guadalupe and Hays counties.

State Capitol

HighlightsBy Ed Sterling

Texas Press Association

Praise flows to city leaders

Although recent winter rains have been a godsend to this semiarid region, we are not out of the drought yet.

Some farmers, ranchers and property owners received more than an inch from last weekend’s showers.

Yet Lake Corpus Christi’s water level was reported at 82.16 feet as of Feb. 21, down 11.84 feet from the full pool of 94 feet – and about eight feet lower than last year at this time.

In other words, it’s going to take many more downpours to make a dent in our moisture level disparity.

That is why it is gratifying to hear that Beeville’s City Council took a posi-tive step on Monday evening.

The council approved a motion to place another $10,000 a month into the city’s Tex Pool Account for the water supply district to use in making improvements and repairs to the city’s aging surface water system.

That doubles the city’s previous amount and gives the district $240,000 a year for maintenance of the multimil-lion dollar system.

City Manager Tom Ginter encouraged the council to assist the water district, which has been forced to spend almost all the money in the Tex Pool Account.

Mayor Santiago “Jimbo” Martinez has been meeting with Ginter and BWSD Board President Jim Crumrine, as well as with Corpus Christi officials, to dis-cuss projects needed to keep water flow-ing from Lake Corpus Christi to the city.

“If we can pony up more money, we need to do it,” Martinez told the council. “We’ve got to do it.”

The additional money will begin flow-ing to the BWSD’s coffers next month.

Along with hiring engineers to study the water situation, approving equip-ment repairs, relocating the intake structure and bringing the old backup wells online again, it appears that city officials are working diligently to make sure this growing community will be able to meet future needs.

With the ongoing Eagle Ford Shale boom, this is one issue all of us should be onboard with oars paddling together.

– Chip Latcham

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Obama abortion mandate is wrong Editor:

I normally do not write to the editor on the sub-ject of abortion/contra-ception, because I believe everyone has a right to be respected in regards to their life decisions.

But when you have a President Obama dictat-ing – that you will pay for free abortions/contracep-tion services no matter how you believe – that’s when I have to speak up.

According to the Constitution, Mr. Obama does not have the right to dictate mandates – I know that the Obamacare bill was passed, which is unconstitutional and will be reviewed by the Supreme Court within the next few months. Mr. Obama has proven his failure to adhere to his oath of office.

First, Mr. Obama’s mandate was to make religious institutions (i.e., hospitals, private schools) provide for these services in insurance policies to cover their employees, even though the institu-tions have deep convic-tions of the preservation

of life. Mr. Obama ignored the Bill of Rights, amend-ment 1... “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of reli-gion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof:”

Today (2-9-12), the president is assumed to have accommodated these institutions by now stating that the insur-ance companies will pro-vide, free of charge, the abortion/contraception services. Nothing is free. Someone has to pay for it.

Currently, Planned Parenthood provides these services to the public. What happened? What happened is that Mr. Obama has found a way for the pro-life con-stituents to pay for abor-tions/contraception with total disregard for their beliefs! This is unconsti-tutional. Insurance rates continue to rise; this will cause another increase. Where is the freedom; where is the government restraint? Do I buy health insurance to cover myself, which would violate my conscious of paying for abortion/contraception? Or do I go uninsured and pay a fine in accordance with the Obamacare law

– still with that fine/money going to pay for these services anyway. Not right, folks.

Left-wing Democrat platforms support wom-en’s rights over the First Amendment right of individuals. To prove my point, here is an excerpt from a video located here: http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/09/congress-man-%e2%80%98vast-major i ty-o f -cathol ic -woman-are-on-birth-control%e2%80%99-vid-eo/.

Notice the response from Wisconsin Democrat Congresswoman Moore as she describes what “a pregnancy” means. Here is the transcript; “The National Institute of Health has said that it is a danger to wom-en’s health and safety of their families, that for 30 years, to be exposed to the prospects of pregnancy.”

It is a disease?! Pregnancy is wiping

out families?! Stop for a moment and think about that. What does pregnan-cy lead to, if you leave it alone? Nine times out of ten, a baby. What’s that? The family getting bigger. The population growing. A new person. A living, breathing human being (taxpayer, to liberals). And this woman is saying that pregnancy is a dan-ger to families!

Abortion kills!Anna DiazGeorge West

School kids notorious in a good way Editor:

I am appalled at the many times the national news tells about some notorious thing that a student did at school. I know from teaching 33 years that notoriety is rare. Children, as a rule, can be nice, helpful and a credit to society. I want to

tell you about a class full of students like that.

Recently, Bee County Retired School Personnel donated books to chil-dren in some third-grade classes in our elementary schools. The gifts were to be kept by the children. The classes thanked us orally, which is enough as far as we were are con-cerned.

On Valentine’s Day, Tammy Mills’ class from St. Mary’s Academy Charter School sent a huge envelope with stu-dent designed thank you notes for the books. What a beautiful surprise! The notes were written on val-entines of all sorts made out of construction paper. Some students were cre-ative with the scissors and cut out hearts and

letters to make their art special.

I enjoyed reading every note and thought back 22 years when I would receive special letters from my students who wanted to do something nice. I will share these with our retirees at our next meeting on March 6, when we will gather in the meeting room at First National Bank at 9:30 a.m. Some of the retired teachers can’t meet with us anymore because of health issues, but I know they still read the news-paper. I want them to know that there are still wonderful students in the Beeville ISD.Sincerely,Ellene ValentaPresident of BCRSP

Beeville Bee-Picayune Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 Page 5A

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONSAND PARTIES:

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The Bee-Picayune welcomes letters to the editor. Anyone wishing to submit a letter for publication may do so, pro-vided that his/her name, address and telephone number is included. It is our longstanding policy not to accept or run unsigned letters. All others, provided they are authenticated, pertinent to the community’s interests, not libelous, not self-promotional in lieu of purchasing legitimate advertising, or overly lengthy, may be run on a space-available basis as determined by the editor. All letters must be no longer than two, double-spaced, typewritten pages (or 500 words) and may be subject to editing. E-mail can be sent to [email protected].

Letters to the editor

Council votes to double city’s contribution to BWSD fundBy Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — Action taken by the City Council Monday eve-ning will be good news for the Beeville Water Supply District directors.

The council approved a motion to place another $10,000 a month into the city’s Tex Pool Account for use by the district in mak-ing improvements and repairs to the city’s surface water system.

That doubles the city’s pre-vious contribution of $10,000 a month and give the district $240,000 a year for mainte-nance of the multimillion dollar system.

“I think you could afford another $10,000,” City Manager Tom Ginter told the council. He reported that the district had been forced to spend almost

all the money in the Tex Pool Account.

Mayor Santiago “Jimbo” Martinez said he had been meeting with Ginter and BWSD Board President Jim Crumrine to discuss some of the projects needed to keep water flowing from Lake Corpus Christi to the city.

The mayor said he also had met with the City of Corpus Christi earlier this month to discuss the need for keeping the level at Lake Corpus Christi at a point where the BWSD’s raw water intake structure could continue to pump water to the George P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch.

Martinez said Beeville has asked Corpus Christi officials for relief during the current

drought. He said the BWSD also is expected to begin work on moving the raw water intake structure to another location, where water can be removed from the lake at lower levels.

“If we can pony up more money, we need to do it,” Martinez told the council. “We’ve got to do it.”

The additional money will begin flowing to the BWSD’s coffers next month.

The council also approved using Tex Pool funds to repair three pumps at a BWSD trans-fer facility at a cost of $6,403 each and to have sludge hauled away from drying beds at the Swinney Switch plant at a cost of $60,000.

Ginter told the council that the sludge is considered haz-ardous waste and it must be hauled away by a vehicle spe-

cially licensed by the state for that type of work.

In other business, the council voted to:

— Accept a report from Isabel Ramirez, tourism director for the Bee County Chamber of Commerce, on the chamber’s recent Winterfest events.

— Authorize the use of Kohler (Nopal) Park for a political rally on Sunday, March 4.

— Approve a temporary street closing for the 200 block of West Hefferman Street and the use of the Downtown Pavilion for a United by Faith event on March 10.

— Reduce city liens on prop-erties at 404 W. Powell St., 811 Buchanan St. and lots 6, 7 and 8 of the Alberts Addition by 50 percent, as requested by the new property owners.

— Authorize a temporary street closing request from Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church for its May Fiesta on May 6.

— Approve the appointment of Christina Gonzales as a depu-ty municipal court clerk.

— Accept a bid of $20,200 for repairs to be made on the roof of the municipal court building in the 500 block of North St. Mary’s Street.

— Authorize the payment of a $289,084.71 invoice from Amstar Construction Co. for work completed on baseball and football fields at Veterans Memorial Park.

— Schedule public hear-ings for zone change requests on property at 1800 W. Corpus Christi St. and 201 N. Monroe St. for the council’s March 13 meeting.

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•MardiGras-steppingoutforLadiesNightOut

Obits: Goode, O. Hernandez, R. Hernandez, Hoaglin, Jefferson, Montoya, Villarreal. Page 2A Inside: Chase tour: Page 8A

LIFESTYLE

maskheraid. Page 1B

By Jason CollinsBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — A 61-year-old man is scheduled to appear in court on April 9 accused of smug-gling 147 pounds of cocaine inside a vehicle earlier this year.

Casimiro Dimas Salinas, better know as Casey, was arraigned last week following his multi-count indictment, filed Feb. 8, that not only includes possessing the 66.88 kilograms of cocaine but also the possession of a revolver and ammunition.

The first two counts of the indictment, filed in federal court, accuse Salinas of not only pos-sessing but also intending to dis-tribute the cocaine, which was found in his vehicle on Jan. 10. Court records show that Salinas was stopped by Border Patrol agents working a checkpoint 13

miles south of Falfurrias.

A conference is scheduled for the Thursday prior to the

Vol. 125 — No. 86 Beeville, Texas Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 Three Sections, 30 Pages 75¢

Sweet & sour sentenceSister’s wish to celebrate brother’s birthday lands her on probationBy Jason CollinsBee-Picayune staff

Alma Longoria only wanted to take her broth-er to dinner for his birth-day before he headed back to jail.

That decision, among others, has her now on probation.

The 19-year-old Beeville woman pleaded guilty in the courtroom of District Judge Joel B. Johnson

on Feb. 14, to hindering apprehension of a known felon. In exchange for her plea, she was sentenced to five years deferred adjudication and a $500 fine.

The events that led her into the courtroom began in the afternoon on Feb. 22, 2011.

Her brother, Matthew Longoria, was turning 23 that day.

As she and her daugh-ter were getting ready, Alma Longoria heard a knock at the door.

It was a deputy asking if her brother was home.

Matthew Longoria had

four warrants — two counts of endangering a child and two for failure to appear.

Alma Longoria said that her brother wasn’t

Voter card delay causing some concern

Smuggling case gets trial date


BEEVILLE – Voters worried they won’t be able to cast a ballot in the upcoming election because their registration expired in December can relax.

L i n d a B r i d g e , B e e C o u n t y t a x assessor-collector, said, “As a result of ongo-ing redis-t r i c t i n g litigation, the mail-

ing of new voter registration cer-tificates is delayed.

“The expiration of your old voter registration certificate on Dec. 31 does not invalidate your voter registration.”

This isn’t just a local problem either.

“Actually it has been state-wide,” Bridge said. “It was our notification to the secretary of state that prompted them to put a notification on their website.”

Along with a plethora of calls to her office, many people have been walking in believing they need to fill out new registration forms.

Linda Bridge

Casey Salinas

Jason Collins photo

The Belmont Inn and Suites opened this week as one of several motels coming to the town as a result of the Eagle Ford Shale drilling boom. Manager Sam Patel (not shown) pointed to a sign in the window. It reads, “No vacancy.” Another hotel is breaking ground at 301 S. Hall St., the location for Beeville’s 59-room Hampton Inn. Construction on that building is expected to take six or seven months.

Rainfall not enough to raise lake levels

(See Sister, 6A)

(See Court, 6A)

(See Voters, 8A)

Mardi Gras

By Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

SWINNEY SWITCH — Cooler weather and cloudy skies seem to have slowed down the decline in water levels in Coastal Bend’s two surface water reservoirs.

Hector Salinas, super-intendent of the George P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch said the level at Lake Corpus Christi “is holding pretty good.”

But he was quick to point out that the lake is quite low.

Salinas said most of the lake bed around the river channel where the Beeville Water Supply District’s raw water intake structure is high and dry right now.

“People can see that the river channel is all we’ve got,” Salinas said.

Currently, the water in Lake Corpus Christi reach-es 82.2 feet above mean sea level. The water reaches 94

feet when the lake is full.

That means the lake con-tains an estimated 80,950 acre feet of water, or 31.5 percent of capacity.

This time last year the lake was at 92.1 feet above mean sea level and contained 223,430 acre feet of water. That put the lake at 86.8 percent of capacity.

The lake contains 257,260 acre feet of water when it is

(See City, 8A)

No room iN New iNN

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BEEVILLE — “We could house 17 aircraft in here,” Larry Lavorgna told Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst Tuesday eve-ning.

Dewhurst, a candi-date for the U.S. Senate seat held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, was in town to join other state elect-ed officials for a tour of the Sikorsky Aerospace Maintenance facilities at the Chase Field Industrial and Airport Complex.

Lavorgna, the general manager for the Sikorsky operation, told state offi-cials that only nine air-craft were being worked on that day.

“We’ve never had 17 aircraft on site,” Lavorgna told those on the tour.

Dewhurst was joined by State Sen. Judith Zaffirini and State Reps. Tracy O. King and Connie Scott.

BDA board members

Laura Fischer, Luis Alaniz and John Galloway joined the tour along with BDA attorney George P. “Trace” Morrill and oth-ers.

Kay and Associates President Greg Kay and BDA Executive Director Joe B. Montez also went

with Lavorgna on the tour. Kay helped answer questions.

The elected officials had the opportunity to get up close to some of the helicopters being remod-eled and repaired. Those included UH-60s from the Colombian Air Force,

the Egyptian presidential helicopter fleet, the U.S. Border Patrol and differ-ent National Guard units.

Montez told those on the tour that the U.S. Navy had even visited Chase Field and had expressed an interest in returning to the former

naval air station.Naval officers were sur-

prised to see that the BDA had invested millions of dollars in improvements to the property since the Navy left Chase about 20 years ago.

“But they wanted sole use,” Montez said. “I told them we couldn’t do that.”

Montez said he did not want to displace the facility’s current tenants, Kay, Sikorsky and oilman Dan A. Hughes.

Lavorgna explained that Sikorsky often almost completely rebuilds the Black Hawk helicopters that come to Chase Field. Two of the most vital pro-grams underway at the facilities are the upgrad-ing of some aircraft and the complete rewiring of others.

The company currently employs 185 individuals, with 80 percent of them working on the day shift.

Lavorgna stressed the

fact that Sikorsky pro-motes its employees from within, concentrating on moving Beeville residents up through the ranks.

The manager showed the group the induction bay in the hangar, stress-ing that is the place where newly arrived aircraft are “depopulated.”

That means everything is stripped off the aircraft, leaving only the most basic parts of the frame. In some cases, even parts of the frame are removed for replacement.

“It’s the most impor-tant part of the process,” Lavorgna told Dewhurst and the other state lead-ers.

“It’s very sequential to build an aircraft,” Lavorgna said, “especial-ly a helicopter.”

Gary Kent is a reporter at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 120, or at [email protected].

at 100 percent of capacity.

Fortunately for Beeville, Corpus Christi is allowing enough water to flow from Choke Canyon Reservoir for the raw water intake structure to keep pumping to the treatment plant.

But even Choke Canyon’s lake level is drop-ping as the Coastal Bend enters what is expected to be another year of severe drought.

Choke Canyon is full when the water is at 220.5

feet above sea level. That means the lake is holding about 695,271 acre feet of water.

Currently the water level at Choke Canyon is at 208.3 feet above sea level and is holding 419,926 acre feet. That is only 60.4 percent of capacity.

To provide a gauge of how fast that lake is drop-ping during the drought, Choke Canyon’s water level was at 214.5 feet at this time last year, holding 549,424 acre feet of water at 79 percent of capacity.

Figures on the total amount of water avail-able for more than a half million Coastal Bend resi-dents are quite telling.

Right now both lakes hold 500,876 acre feet of water, or 52.6 percent of capacity. At this time last year, the two lakes held 772,854 acre feet of water for a total of 81.1 percent.

Beeville City Manager Tom Ginter said the city is already in Condition 2.

He explained that he is watching Lake Corpus Christi levels and using

them to govern Beeville’s drought situation.

Condition 2 is the 40 percent level. That means residents of the city are being asked to avoid water-ing vegetation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., when evaporation rates are

higher.

Also, residents are being asked to avoid allowing water to run into streets or gutters and to maintain plumbing in households to avoid leaks.

Ginter said warmer weather and cloudless

skies could force the city to adopt the 30 percent rule before long. At that point, the city could enact more restrictions on water use for irrigation.


Page 8A Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 Beeville Bee-Picayune

107 N. Washington • Beeville, TX 78102361-358-6001

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Attorney at Law

15 Years Local Experience You Can TrustRick Vestal

“Yesterday we had one lady that said she was call-ing the governor’s office to complain on us,” she said.

The concern about voter registration has been cir-culating via email recently with the bold black letter, “Check your voter regis-tration!!!”

“Mine expired; check yours,” the email reads in part. “So far no proof of fraud, such as omit-ting all Republicans or all Democrats...

“Probably just incompe-tence, to allow this change without public notifica-tion.”

Bridge said that in only a few instances do people need to do anything to keep their voter registra-tion valid.

• If you do not have any changes to your voter reg-istration (i.e., you haven’t moved or changed your name), no action is needed at this time.

• If you remain in your county of registration but have changed your resi-dence address or name, you will need to submit your updated information to your county voter reg-istrar and your new voter registration certificate will be mailed to you from your county voter registrar.

• If you have changed your residence address to a new county, you will need to submit a new voter registration application no later than the 30th day before Election Day.

• If you are not sure where you are registered, you can check at www.sos.state.tx.us.

Bridge said that for now, she and her office workers are waiting on lawmak-ers before mailing out new cards.

Bridge added, “Once the court approves interim redistricting maps and counties have the oppor-tunity to finalize precinct

lines, the county will issue new voter registration cer-tificates.”

The question though is when will the redistricting maps be competed.

Bridge said that the primaries are tentatively scheduled for May 29.

Until a final date is set though, new voter reg-istration cards can’t be mailed.

“They have not finished redistricting,” she said. “That is why the mass mail-out has not hap-pened.”

Bridge said that when the secretary of state gives the go-ahead, then her office will mail out the new cards.

“They do not want to push out voter registration with the wrong informa-tion on it,” she said.

Jason Collins is the editor at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 121, or at [email protected].

(Continued from 1A)

(Continued from 1A)

Voters will get new cards when redistricting is finalized

Gary Kent photo

Sikorsky Aerospace Maintenance General Manager Larry Lavorgna, left, explains the ventilation of the new paint booth at the Sikorsky facilities at the Chase Field Industrial and Airport Complex dur-ing a tour by state elected officials from Austin Tuesday. Elected officials to the right of Lavorgna are State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, State Rep. Connie Scott, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and State Rep. Tracy O. King.

City in Condition 2 restrictions as drought continues

Lawmakers get inside look at Sikorsky

Jason Collins photo

Students at FMC Elementary raised nearly $7,000 this past Friday for the American Heart Association through Jump Rope for Heart. Shown in this photo, Anna Trevino and Beatrice Benavides are jumping rope together. In the background is Sarah Suniga. Julie Maupin, who was coordinating the effort at the school, said, “These kids are wonderful. They never fail to surprise Coach Hernandez and me with how much compassion they have for others. It is amazing to see such a small school give so much.” See the video online at www.mySouTex.com.

BeneFit iS JumPinG

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Obits: Casarez, Hernandez, Rincon, Villarreal. Page 2A Inside: Could 8,000 jobs be coming to this area soon? Page 6A

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A VOICE FOR VALENTINE. PAGE 1B

Vol. 125 — No. 90 Beeville, Texas Saturday, March 10, 2012 Three Sections, 30 Pages 75¢

Rough road aheadTxDOT detours highway upgrade plans despite pleas

By Bill CloughBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — What was supposed to be a review of the Texas Department of Transportation’s Texas Rural Transportation Plan, known as TRTP

2035, took a detour Tuesday afternoon at Coastal Bend College.

Instead of an extensive PowerPoint presentation, the dominating subject was the effect of Eagle Ford truck traffic on Bee

County roads and drivers.The PowerPoint show

played silently and unnoticed until someone stopped it.

TxDOT representatives (seven) outnumbered the attendees (two, including

retired oilman Bill Allen of Pawnee and County Judge David Silva).

“We need U.S. 181 to be four-lane from Beeville to Karnes City,” Silva said, noting the increased traf-fic in lockstep with the

increasing traffic acci-dents occurring, some fatal. “That’s our most pressing need.”

Silva said that traffic on that highway was only going to increase because Eagle Ford activities

in Bee County are just “ramping up.” He also predicted the highway would become an even stronger north-south transportation corridor when a wider Panama

Combating budgets,

enrollment

CBC PresideNtial CaNdidates sPeak: Drip will dry


BEEVILLE — “We’re in a very bad spot there,” Beeville Water Supply District Board President Jim Crumrine said during a meeting Monday.

Crumrine was talking about the location of the BWSD’s raw water intake structure in the Nueces River near Swinney Switch.

Reporting on a recent meet-ing with City of Beeville and BWSD board members with City of Corpus Christi offi-cials, Crumrine told board members that the district has no choice but to move the structure into the lake proper or end up without a source of surface water.

Civil engineer Stephen Grunwald of Urban Engineering in Corpus Christi


BEEVILLE — “Police work has changed a lot since I was in Austin,” Deputy Sgt. Kevin Behr said Saturday night as he drove south on U.S. Highway 181.

It was in Austin decades ago that the young college graduate cut his teeth, patrolling the dangerous streets of the Texas capital.

Since returning to his Bee County home, Behr has put that experience to work, protecting citizens here and maintaining his patrol skills as a weekend supervisor for Sheriff Carlos Carrizales.

On weekdays, Behr is in charge of the law enforce-ment training at Coastal Bend College.

He was on his way to check out the south end of

the county Saturday as he commented on the changes in law enforcement.

Within easy reach, Behr had a $5,000 video recording system, a hand-held radio, a car radio and a $3,500 General Dynamics laptop computer built for the mili-tary.

With a quick flip of the

Millions of dollars needed for new water intake line

It’S a hIStory twang

Street beat with techno tones

Jason Collins photo

David Vickers talks to the students of Moreno Middle School about how instruments have changed through the years. He began his talk Wednesday with the introduction of the banjo concluding it with the popular harmonica that fit neatly into the pockets of so many cowboys. He not only discussed the evolution of these instruments but was able to play each as he talked to the youths. See the video online at www.mySouTex.com.

gary Kent photo

The screen of a $3,500 General Dynamics laptop computer mounted in Kevin Behr’s 2011 Tahoe shows him where almost every deputy and police officer within rural, South Texas counties is at any time.

(See State 6A)

(See Water, 8A)


BEEVILLE – Two more Coastal Bend College presidential can-didates put themselves in front of a small audi-ence this week, sharing their views on the posi-tion.

The CBC board nar-rowed its candidate list of 29 down to five finalists on Feb. 29, and invited

(Candidates, 8A) Dr. Jimmy Cargill

(See Deputies, 3A)

reminder: Clocks spring forward 2 a.m. sunday

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them to a question-and-answer session this week.

For Thursday’s candi-date, Dr. Jimmy Cargill, the prospect of moving into a community inundated with oil and gas workers sounds familiar.

“We have the same problems you have here,” said Cargill, who is the president of Dawson Community College in Dawson, Mont., an area swarming with people because of the Bakken oil boom.

Thousands of people, he said, are pouring into the

area.“Our motels are full,” he

said. “They are building two more hotels.

“You can’t get a space in an RV park.”

This influx of people sounds as though it would be a boom for the college, but it is having just the opposite effect.

“Some of the students elect to make that big money instead of going to college,” he said. “It is hard to tell an 18-year-old not to go and make $50,000 or $60,000, buy a truck, get married, have kids and then go back to college,

because it is going to be tough.”

But, he said, his belief is that it is the president’s job to sell the college to future students and to work with industries to provide the educational opportuni-ties that they will want in their employees.

He also said that he understood the enroll-ment issues facing Coastal Bend.

Part of that is ensuring that students are ready for college when they gradu-ate high school.

“What we need to be doing is working with the

high schools and testing students early,” he said. This will allow them to get the help they need prior to entering college.

Dr. Beatriz Espinoza, who spoke on Wednesday morning, echoed similar ideas.

“If you ask students to spend the first three years in college doing devel-opmental work, you are going to lose them. That is what we have seen on an ongoing basis,” she said “We can’t redo high school for them.”

Espinoza said that she has seen success by having students complete courses not based upon a semester length but on completion of course work. A student, she said, could complete several developmental courses within a semester.

“They are adults, and we need to treat them like that,” she said.

The other challenge fac-ing the college right now is accreditation.

Espinoza said that she is familiar with the accred-itation process for colleges.

“We are not giving our-selves credit for what we already do,” said Espinoza, who is vice chancel-lor for educational plan-ning and services at the Yuba Community College District in Marysville, Calif.

“It is not that research paper where you have to go out and look for that research. You do it every day. We should be giving ourselves more credit for what we do.

“I don’t think it is a huge mountain. It is a molehill.”

Cargill echoed similar sentiments, saying that he too has been through this process and is familiar with what is entailed.

Both candidates said they have an open door policy and encourage peo-ple to come talk to them.

“My leadership style is my door is open all the time. They can walk in any time, and they do,” Cargill said.

Part of that open dia-logue for Espinoza also means being open with the community.

When there is bad news, she said, the college needs to own up to it.

“Espinoza said that it is important to “get rid of the rumor mill.”

The final of the five candidates, Dr. David Pelham, spoke Friday first during the 10 a.m. session in the college auditorium and then during a video conference from 1-2 p.m. in room E112 in the Elam Building.


A Saturday, March 10, 2012 Beeville Bee-Picayune

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Suspects indicted for bail jumping, drugs, evading arrestBy Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — Bee County grand jurors returned the following felony indictments in February:

•Enrique Hernandez in two separate indictments on charg-es bail jumping.

According to the indictment, Hernandez failed to appear in court while out on a $1,500 bond on both Sept. 22, 2011, and again on Feb. 8 of this year.

The defendant had been charged with assault of a fam-ily or house member.

District Judge Joel Johnson set Hernandez’s bond at $100,000 on each of the two indictments.

•Kendall R. Dupuis, 45, in a two-count indictment on charg-es of possession of a controlled substance. The first count is a third degree felony, because Dupuis allegedly had more than a gram but less than four grams of methamphetamine.

The second count was a state jail felony, because the defendant reportedly had less than one gram of dihydroco-deinone.

Bond was $4,000.•Joe Anthony Medina on a

charge of possession of a pro-

hibited substance in a correc-tional facility.

The charge is a third degree felony.

According to investigators, Medina had marijuana at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s McConnell Unit on Dec. 4, 2011.

Bond was $3,000.•Christina Olivares O’Brien

on a charge of evading arrest with a motor vehicle, a third degree felony.

The indictment alleges that O’Brien fled from Patrolman Matthew Miller during an inci-dent on Sept. 26, 2011.

Bond was $2,000.•Mark Allen Snopek on a

charge of driving while intoxi-cated, third or more.

The charge is a third degree felony.

Beeville Police Department officers alleged that Snopek was caught driving drunk on Aug. 19, 2011.

The defendant had prior DWI convictions on July 26, 1994, and on July 29, 1997, both in Bee County.

His bond was $6,000 with conditions.

•Nathan Lawrence Woods, 32, on a DWI charge, third or more, a third degree felony.

According to a sheriff’s dep-uty, Woods was driving under

the influence of alcohol on Aug. 31, 2011.

He had previous DWI con-victions on Nov. 7, 2001, in Bee County and on Sept. 2, 2005, in Nueces County.

Bond was $4,000. •Derrall Edward Byars on

a charge of DWI, third or more.BPD officers alleged that

Byars was driving under the influence of alcohol on Aug. 31, 2011.

The defendant had previ-ous DWI convictions on Feb. 7, 1995, in Bee County and on Oct. 27, 1997, in Travis County.

Bond was $2,500 with condi-tions.

Grand jurors also returned state jail felony indictments against five district court defendants.

A conviction on a state jail felony could result in a sen-tence of two years in a state jail facility and a fine of as much as $10,000.

Joe Felix Bazan was named in a one-count indictment on a charge of evading arrest with a motor vehicle in connection with a May 14, 2011, incident.

According to the sheriff’s office, Bazan used a vehicle to escape from Deputy Joseph Buttery while the deputy was trying to arrest or detain him.

Judge Johnson set his bond

at $2,000.Others indicted on state jail

felonies were:•Anthony Lee Arredondo on

a charge of delivery of mari-juana.

BPD investigators alleged that the 19-year-old defendant delivered between a quarter of an ounce and five pounds of marijuana to a local man on July 13, 2011.

Bond was $2,000.•Sergio Antonio Moreno on

a charge of debit card abuse.According to police officers,

Moreno used a Navy Army Mastercard belonging to another man on June 29, 2011.

Bond was $1,000.•Renae Dean on a charge of

debit card abuse.BPD officers claimed that

the 40-year-old defendant used a man’s Navy Army Mastercard on June 29 with-out permission.

The incident apparently was related to the previous indict-ment.

Bond was $1,000.•Christina Michelle Reed on

a charge of possession of less than one gram of oxycodone.

Police officers made the accusation in connection with a March 31, 2011 incident.

Bond was $1,000.

echoed that news.Grunewald said Corpus

Christi water officials need to hold the level of Lake Corpus Christi to below 74 feet above mean sea level in order to catch and impound more water dur-ing significant rain events.

The engineer explained that the watershed pour-ing into Lake Corpus Christi is larger than that leading to the Choke Canyon Reservoir. When the Coastal Bend does get a significant rain event, if the lake level is higher than that, too much of the water from Lake Corpus Christi simply runs down to the bays and estuaries on the coast.

Crumrine said an aer-ial photo of Lake Corpus Christi and the Nueces River north of the lake told an unsettling story.

“We’re about three miles from the main lake,” he said.

Grunewald said his company is studying the situation currently to determine what level the lake needs to be for Beeville to have a depend-able source of water so

that the George P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch can continue to provide water for the city.

“We need to be mov-ing our intake structure, because they (Corpus Christi) can’t hold it there forever,” Grunewald said.

“Corpus Christi said move our intake struc-ture and move it now,” Crumrine said. “We can’t hold the lake where we need it.”

That means the BWSD will need to approve a sub-stantial bond sale soon.

Although no one is providing an estimate of what it will cost to build an intake structure in the lake proper and then run a pipeline to the Morrill treatment plant, Crumrine said guesses are running between $7 million and $15 million. That is a sub-stantial project when one realizes that the current system, built 30 years ago, was done at a cost of $10 million.

However, the bonds sold to build the existing sys-tem were paid off last year.

In other business during Monday’s meeting, board

members voted to:— Call elections for the

board’s two expiring terms for May 12. Place 1 board member George P. “Trace” Morrill III and Place 2 board member Kay Hickey are facing expiring terms.

Both were appointed to fill unexpired terms. However, because neither candidate drew opposition, the board is expected to declare the two winners and cancel the elections.

— Take no action on a report on an ongoing CT study to determine how to meet the city’s future water needs.

— Approve a resolu-tion calling for the district to reimburse the cost of repairs to the water sys-tem using the proceeds from the sale of tax exempt bonds.

— Accept reports from City Manager Tom Ginter concerning sludge removal at the Morrill plant, repair plans for pumps at the raw water intake struc-ture and water resource studies underway by two different engineering com-panies.


(Continued from 1A)

(Continued from 1A)

Water board will need millions to move intake

Candidates say student retention goal for new president

Dr. Beatriz Espinoza

Developer Adrian Iglesias, center, made a brief and informal ground-breaking ceremony a family affair last Friday afternoon when he brought his children into the picture. Iglesias, the president of Generation Housing Development of Austin, is building the new Amber Stone Apartments south of the H-E-B Food Store. When the 54-unit project is completed in about 10

months, Iglesias will have replaced a crumbling, WWII era housing complex with a modern, gated apartment community that will provide attrac-tive and affordable housing for the community. Those pictured are, from left, John Maldonado, Beeville Housing Authority Executive Director Viola Salazar, Iglesias and his 9-year-old daugh-ter, Sophia, and 8-year-old son, James.

Gary Kent photo

AMber Stone Ground-breAKinG

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Trustees learn suit settlement reachedBISD election may be postponed

(Bee-PicayuneMarch 9 & 12, 1987)

The Beeville Independent School District trustee election is expected to be postponed as part of a negotiated set-tlement reached this week in a voting rights case in which the BISD has agreed to establish two separate voting districts.

The settlement, which has been verbally agreed to by the plaintiffs’ attorney but must still be approved by a federal judge, ends a five-year battle between the BISD and the plain-tiffs. The latter sought to overturn the current at-large election system, claiming it does not allow minority candidates, spe-cifically Hispanics, equal opportunity to be elected.

During Tuesday night’s BISD board meeting, trustees learned that the settlement had been reached that afternoon.

Superintendent Harold Reynolds said it calls for the establishment of two triple-member districts, with the seventh position to be elected at-large.

The majority of Beeville Memorial Hospital direc-tors are in favor of intro-ducing legislation which would give voters the option of creating a hospi-tal district in Bee County. That’s the message County Judge Bill Streitman received Wednesday in a letter from attorney and board chairman John West.

The chairman said the matter has been discussed at several board meetings, at which “no objection was voiced by any member in attendance to recom-mending the legislation be passed.”

West said, after poll-ing board members, that enabling legislation was endorsed by a 9-3 mar-gin. Those in favor include West, Buford J. Rhodes, Melba Stridde, Dr. Karole Beasley, the Rev. Richard Bremer, Jimmy Jackson, John Longoria, Donald Rocke, hospital admin-istrator, and Kirkby Townsend. Those against the legislation were Richard Carrera, Judy Telge and Dr. Lawrence Reagan.

County Attorney Fred Biel is awaiting the response of state officials regarding some ques-tions raised by the July 1986 term grand jury in a report issued Monday relating to an investiga-tion of the Nov. 4, 1986, general election.

Opinions rendered by Attorney General Jim Mattox and the secretary of state will ultimately have an effect on whether any prosecutions will be forthcoming as a result of the investigation by the sheriff’s department and district and county attor-neys. The report indicat-ed, among other things, that some local citizens may have been deprived of their fundamental right to vote when their absentee mail ballots were thrown out because of certain dis-crepancies.

Judging is under-way at the Bee County Junior Livestock and Homemakers Show, which will conclude with the sale Saturday evening at the coliseum. Tom Partlow is president of the show board, and Mr. and Mrs. Julian B. Rader are the 1987 show honorees in recognition of their sup-port of the show and Bee County’s youth.

– Chip Latcham

Beeville Bee-PicayuneSection A, PAge 4SAturdAy,mArch 10, 2012

25 years ago

Alleged incident between Texas Navy and newspaper sparks war of words

A war of words that could have esca-lated into real violence broke out in the spring of 1840, between the Texas Navy and a Galveston newspaper editor.

To set the scene, the generally busy, generally underrated and sometimes controversial sea arm of the Republic of Texas had found itself becalmed. The glory days of the 1836 revolution had played out four years before and, at least for the moment, the Galveston-based fleet did not have to worry about Mexico trying to regain its lost province, because that nation vigorously sought to put down a rebellion in the Yucatan peninsula.

The Texas Congress, ever mindful of not spending too much public money (the Republic didn’t have much, if any, to spend) had passed a bill in February 1840, semi-mothballing the Texas fleet. President Mirabeau B. Lamar, of course, still had the authority to use the young nation’s ships of the line as he saw fit.

But while he watched the revolu-tion in Mexico, Lamar did not see fit to use the navy in February; he did not see fit to use it in March, and he had not yet seen fit to use it in April when H.R. French fired the first volley at the Texas Navy in the April 10 edition of his newspaper, The Galvestonian. What French did was report an outrageous incident that had reportedly occurred aboard the Austin, the Navy’s heavily armed 600-ton flagship.

Later that morning, the editor received a short note from one E. Kennedy, who held the rank of first lieutenant aboard another Navy vessel, the Texas.

“Sir—You having thought proper to publish in your paper this morning, upon the testimony of an irresponsible person, an article most insulting to the officers of the Texas Navy generally, but most especially so to those of the Ship Texas—as the 1st Lieutenant of the Ship Texas, I call upon you sir to correct your statement, otherwise, I shall be under the necessity of hold-ing you personally responsible for the obnoxious article.”

Though the communication seems polite enough to the modern reader, in so many words, particularly “holding you personally responsible” the officer was threatening the editor either with an informal butt-kicking on behalf of the officers and gentlemen of the Texas Navy or a more formal challenge to a duel.

To his credit, French published Kennedy’s letter in the following day’s newspaper. But the editor also unlim-bered his journalistic guns and made ready for action.

First, he raised the flag of freedom of speech and government accountability.

“We hold this fact to be self-evident,” he wrote, “that the people have a perfect

right to know everything with regard to the proceedings of officers of govern-ment, be they good or be they bad, and as a public journalist, it is our right, as well as duty, to place them before the public.”

Further, the editor wrote, while he had no intention of besmirching any-one, “we are determined not to be bul-lied by any man, or any set of men….”

Parsing words like a politician but with the skill of a clever wordsmith availing himself of the services of a good lawyer, French noted that since Kennedy had not “seen fit to deny said statements himself,” he would not cor-rect anything.

Not all bluster, the editor repeated that he had not intended to insult the entire officer’s corps of the Texas Navy. “No man can consider himself insulted unless he was party to the affair,” French wrote.

French went on to say that his infor-mation had come from a man he pre-sumed to be an officer serving on the Colorado, another Texas warship then in port. And, while not naming that man, French alluded to the fact that someone had already revealed his iden-tity to the other officers.

Unfortunately for posterity’s sake, nowhere in the cannon blasts of verbiage published in the April 11, 1840, issue of The Galvestonian did editor French or anyone else repeat the details of the alleged incident aboard the Austin. The only clue is French’s mention that he had heard from an officer at the Navy Yard that “the whole affair was a hoax, got up by the officers themselves, for their own purposes.” If that proved to be the case, French continued, “We have but assisted in propagating the hoax and the originators of it have nothing to complain of.”

The hunt continues, but so far, the April 10 edition of The Gavlestonian containing the original account of this carefully unrepeated incident has not been located. Given that the officers and sailors of the Texas Navy clearly were men of action easily bored by inac-tion, and further given that alcohol in that era was almost universally used and abused, whatever triggered the incident may possibly have originated in a bottle – or several of them.

Texas tales

By Mike Cox

Let’s suck it up and guarantee ample water

Although a cold, wet week-end has been forecast, many residents are encouraged by the promise of spring and an

improving economy.

Bluebonnets and other wildflowers are popping up around the county, with the wetter start to this year adding to the general positive feeling.

However, city officials are facing a dilemma, partially caused by the growth thanks to the Eagle Ford Shale develop-ment.

In addition to the problems with traf-fic and housing, city leaders now have learned that to ensure an adequate water supply for the future, we are look-ing at an expenditure of $7 million to $15 million.

A front-page story today reveals that at a meeting with City of Beeville and Beeville Water Supply District board members with City of Corpus Christi officials, they learned that the district has no choice but to relocate the raw water intake structure in the Nueces River near Swinney Switch.

Because of the lower lake level, the Beeville water intake structure is almost

high and dry – “about three miles from the main lake,” Jim Crumrine, water board president, said.

According to Crumrine and Stephen Grunewald, civil engineer from Corpus Christi, in order to have a dependable water source, we need to move our intake structure deeper into the lake to maintain the flow. That means the BWSD will need to approve a substan-tial bond sale soon.

Fortunately, the $10 million in bonds sold 30 years ago to build the existing system were paid off last year and bond rates are low, making this a prime time for governmental entities to go out for bonds.

Factoring in the business and popula-tion growth from the Eagle Ford Shale, it seems now would be a opportune moment for city planners to take into account all reasonable needs for the city’s water supply, including repairing the Morrill treatment plant equipment, the city’s old backup wells and leaks along the 18-mile pipeline to Beeville.

No one wants to see the city deep in debt, but if we run dry of water, our potential will die.

– Chip Latcham

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Vol. 125 — No. 104 Beeville, Texas Saturday, April 28, 2012 Three Sections, 30 Pages 75¢

City begins Condition 3 drought restrictionsBy Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — The City of Beeville has initiated “Condition 3” drought restrictions.

That condition auto-matically kicks in when the level of Lake Corpus Christi reaches 30 per-cent of its capacity.

Currently, the level of the reservoir is at 30.80 percent of capacity.

Interim City Manager Deborah Ballí said the condition means city resi-dents must observe water use restrictions.

Those include:•City residents may

reduce lawn watering to once every five days.

•No irrigation of veg-etation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

•No water will be allowed to run off yards or plants into gutters or streets.

•No defective plumb-ing will be permitted in

anyone’s home or busi-ness establishment. Any defective plumbing must be repaired to stop leaks. That includes water clos-ets, underground leaks or leaks in faucets or taps.

•Allowing water to flow constantly through a tap, hydrant, valve or any other connection to the city’s water system is also prohibited.

The current drought restrictions were approved by the City Council as part of its Water Conservation and Emergency Water Management Plan in 2009.

The same conditions will exist in Corpus Christi and all other municipalities that take public water supplies from Lake Corpus Christi.

The restrictions will remain in effect until lake levels rise again.


Where’s the

water?

Council approves hotel-motel tax funds for CofCBy Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — City Council members approved their side of an agreement with the Bee County Chamber of Commerce concerning hotel and motel tax funds when they met at City Hall Tuesday evening.

The new agreement calls for the city to for-ward $128,000 a year to

the chamber for operating funds.

The agreement has not yet been reviewed and approved by the CofC board.

It also represents a sig-nificant reduction from the previous agreement with the chamber, where-by the CofC received 50 percent of the money col-lected from the tax.

Money collected by the city in occupancy taxes from the local hotels and motels must be spent to encourage tourism and to put “heads in beds.”

Several organizations apply for funds from the taxes each year to pro-mote and advertise their events. One of the criteria for applying for the funds is to show that the events will help fill local motel

rooms.Organizations have

been hitting the fund hard this year and a local church, which is planning a Cinco de Mayo celebra-tion in a week, was told to wait until next year to apply.

Interim City Manager Deborah Ballí told the council that cash avail-able in the fund has been depleted until later in the

year.

The council also opted to take no action on giving final approval to a formal application that organiza-tions must fill out before asking for hotel and motel tax money.

The council plans to discuss the application during a workshop ses-sion scheduled for next month.

Councilman David Carabajal made the motion to approve the agreement with the CofC and that was seconded by Councilwoman Libby Spires.

In other business, the council voted to:

— Appoint Art Gomez and reappoint Fernando Galvan and Marie

Prescription for survivalBy Christina RowlandBee-Picayune staff

When a certain generation refers to the good ol’ days, it usu-ally means a time when every business was a mom-and-pop shop, when neighbors were best friends and every pharmacy was family owned and sported a soda fountain.

The sarsaparillas have long gone, but a handful of pharma-cies still can call their town home.

Schulz and Wroten has been a fixture on North Washington Street in Beeville for decades. Though it has changed hands, names and locations a couple times, it is known best by its cur-rent name.

It was named Schulz Pharmacy back when it was purchased by Paul Schulz in 1936. Thomas Wroten came to work there as pharmacist in 1948 and, when he bought a portion of the phar-macy in 1961, it officially became Schulz and Wroten. The name has stuck since then, even though Schulz sold the remainder of the company to Wroten in 1971.

Part of what gives a pharmacy a hometown feel is a familiar face. Wroten was a familiar face behind the counter at Schulz and Wroten for 60 years.

It was the only pharmacy at which he ever worked. There was a time in his career when he was the youngest pharmacist in Beeville and another time when he was the oldest pharmacist in Beeville.

Even though Wroten died sev-eral years ago, his family still runs

the pharmacy. Both daughters (Beth Wroten Newsom and Judy Wroten Cline) have been pharma-cists there for more than 30 years. At 90 years old, Mary Wroten still works as the buyer and merchan-diser for the gift depart-ment.

V i l l a g e Pharmacy, c u r r e n t l y in Refugio, i n c o r p o -rated in 1981. While not as old Schulz and W r o t e n , the people there still p r a c t i c e business by the same moral code.

Virginia P i e r c e , office man-ager for V i l l a g e Pharmacy, said the b u s i n e s s has been run by p h a r m a -cist Larry Strickland since it was incorporat-ed.

The com-pany motto is “Service with a smile,” she said. “We can’t always compete on price, but we can compete on service.”

She feels the small town phar-macies are much more personal than those big chain places.

“It’s like Cheers, the bar; where everybody knows your name,” Pierce said.

The pharmacy has served generations of the same family. People who used to come in as

Mom-and-pop pharmacies still alive & well among chains that exist today

Christina Rowland photo

Schulz and Wroten is one of several mom-and-pop pharmacies around the area that has survived decades of change. The pharma-cy, like the others, has a small gift section that takes up a portion of the store. Schulz and Wroten has a large display window where goods can be seen from the street.

(See Council, 6A)

(See Chain stores, 3A)

Obits: Arguijo, Brown, Castillo, Cervantes, Evans, Stauch Page 2A


BEEVILLE — In a 71-min-ute special meeting Thursday afternoon, county commission-ers sent a mixed message to the Texas Railroad Commission.

At issue is a proposal by B&G Environmental — partially owned by the Beck brothers of Beeville — to build a plant near the intersection of County Roads 119 and 113, about three miles west of Pettus — to recycle non-hazardous oilfield materials into asphalt.

The expected life of the facil-ity is at least 10 years.

The company submitted its proposal to the Railroad Commission in late February. More than 20 landowners adja-cent to the property contact-ed Precinct 2 Commissioner Dennis DeWitt, who also owns land near the plant site.

Responding to their concerns, as well as his, over potential loss of property values — because of road deterioration, water and air pollution and noise from trucks carrying oil-field waste — in early March, DeWitt wrote to the RRC ask-ing it to address numerous points of concern voiced by the land owners.

•Were there any previous requests for operating per-mits for the property been denied and why?

•Have any complaints been filed on similar plants? If so, what were the complaints?

•Or any similar sites in per-mit violation or suspended?

•Is there a current environ-mental impact study for the site?

•Will the site have ade-quate groundwater monitor-ing?

•Will the company operat-

Bill Clough photo

H.K. Garner, representing B&G Environmental Services, the company that wants to build an oil well byproduct recycling facility in north Bee County, explains to county commissioners and an audience filled with landowners during a special called meeting Thursday afternoon what the planned facility is and what it isn’t.

Court to RRC: Be careful

(See Resolution, 12A)

Haveyouevertastedamemory?

Page 1B

Sports: What’s next, parks? Page 11A

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Obits: Benavides, Council, Harris, Keller, Martinez, May, Moreno. Page 2A Inside: Goliad newspaper sold to Beeville. Page 3A

Vol. 126 — No. 10 Beeville, Texas Saturday, June 2, 2012 Three Sections, 30 Pages 75¢

when shale meets galeBy Christina Rowland Bee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE – With hur-ricane season upon us, preparedness should be on the forefront of every-one’s mind, and with the oil and gas boom in the

Eagle Ford in full swing, that includes the minds of those in the oil and gas business.

“We are very sensitive to hurricanes,” said Chris Aulds, co-chief executive for TEAK Midstrem.

TEAK Midstream is in the middle of building a cryogenic gas process-ing plant in northern Bee County.

While the plant is in the middle of construction now, “we will processing

gas by the first of August of this year,” Aulds said.

TEAK Midstream has a plan whether a storm happens during the con-struction phase or once it is in operation.

“If it’s mild wind or

rain, it would just be a weather delay (in con-struction),” he said. “If it appears it is going to be a total or direct hit, we would send all construc-tion personal home.”

If a major storm were to

hit after the facility went into operation, “we would close any valves bringing any natural gas or natu-ral gas liquids into the facility.”

He said TEAK

Oil companies prepare for impending hurricanes

court advised


BEEVILLE – After multiple discussions, commissioners have decided to not make any changes that would limit what public officials, and even the county’s regular employees, could say.

“The best way to han-dle this is from my part is simply to drop the whole thing,” said Mike Knight, county attorney, during Monday’s court meeting.

The issue arose because of a letter written by Commissioner Dennis DeWitt to the Railroad

Commission concerning a recycling plant proposed in northern Bee County.

Commissioner Carlos Salazar had asked the court to add a policy into

the employee handbook that would require court approval before elected officials, department heads or employees could

comment on behalf of the county.

DeWitt was silent during the discussions Monday but vocal during the prior meeting when

the item was initially pro-posed by Salazar.

The rule proposed by

‘to drop the whole thing’

RV park gets green light from cityBy Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — City Council members gave the OK for work to con-tinue on one recreational vehicle park within the

city limits following an executive session during Thursday night’s meeting at City Hall.

An agenda item call-ing for an executive ses-sion to discuss threatened

litigation by attorneys representing Gerald S. Calvert, who has been building an RV park at the Tyler Place Mobile Home Park, and Amistad Acquisitions just east of

North Archer Street, was moved up in the meet-ing by Mayor Santiago “Jimbo” Martinez.

The council has met in executive session sev-eral times to discuss the

threatened suits but had taken no action until Thursday.

The meeting reopened minutes short of an hour and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Scotten made the motion

to agree to a settlement with the attorneys rep-resenting the Tyler Place park.

Scotten said the agree-ment would contain one

$20K a month wasted on lost waterBy Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — Two engineers who have been studying Beeville’s potential water future said Tuesday that the situation may not be as bad as some think.

Jim Urban of Urban Engineering and Carl Crull of HDR Engineering Inc. met with two City Council members and four members of the Beeville Water Supply District board at City Hall.

Urban provided charts and diagrams to explain his reasoning.

Urban said one of the city’s biggest problems is the number of significant leaks in the 18-mile pipeline between the George

Gary Kent photo

Two engineers on the left, Carl Crull of HDR Engineering and Jim Urban of Urban Engineering, show points on Lake Corpus Christi that have been considered for a new raw water intake structure for the Beeville Water Supply District during a workshop session Tuesday evening.

‘It’saninformalpolicyandthatisjusthowitworks.Ijustdon’t

thinkweneedtoputsomethinglikethisinstone.’

— Mike Knight, county attorney

Jason Collins photos

Commissioners opted not to make a policy that would limit statements by elected officials and county employees. Above, Mike Knight, county attorney, offers his legal opinion about the proposed addition to the county handbook. Above, Commissioners Carlos Salazar Jr. and Dennis DeWitt, along with County Judge David Silva, listen to Knight during Monday’s meeting.

Policy of what

employees, officials

can say on county’s

behalf remains

unwritten

(See Hurricane, 6A)

(See City, 10A)

(See Urban, 10A)

(See County, 3A)

runoff elections coming July 31. Page 6a

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change, a requirement that the facility be surrounded by a six-foot fence instead of the previ-ously planned four-foot fence.

Scotten also asked that the title to the property be redraft-ed.

But the council took no action on the Amistad facilities. Several of those at the meet-ing, including Amistad devel-oper Diana Endsley and her attorney, Don Jones, had been at previous meetings when the council went into executive ses-sion to discuss the potential suits and then took no action.

Jones appeared to be trou-bled by the decision.

However, no one on the coun-

cil commented on the vote to table the matter.

Some residents of the Ellwood Terrace Subdivision, which abuts the Amistad prop-erty, were also at the meeting.

Council members abruptly went on to other items on their lengthy agenda for the night.

In other action, the council voted to:

— Approve the payment of a $12,564.59 invoice to AG/CM Construction Management Services for work done on recent park improvements.

— Authorize the payment of a $3,771.27 invoice for Gignac and Associates, architects who designed the facilities at the Little League Complex at

Veterans Memorial Park.— Allow the city staff to

pay Amstar, Inc. General Contractors for work performed so far on the parks.

— Approve an intent to sell water to Jessy Garza for a rec-reational vehicle site just out-side the city limits. If the city goes through with the agree-ment, it could lead to 41 new water connections to the city’s system.

— Pass a new application form for organizations request-ing funds from the city’s hotel and motel occupancy tax account with a limit of $40,000 per applicant.

— Pay a $94,670 bill from Urban Engineering regarding

design work for improvements to the city’s wastewater treat-ment plant.

— Authorize payment of a $172,791 bill from Payton Construction Co. for work done on rehabilitating the filtering media at the George P. Morrill Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch.

— Approve payment of a bill for $8,014.73 for legal work performed by the law firm of McKibben, Woolsey and Villarreal, LLP on the city’s RV park ordinance.

— Accept an estimate of $8,150 from Salazar Construction Co. for work that needs to be done to walls and ceilings at the Municipal Court building.

— Pay a bill from Servpro for mold remedial work at the Municipal Court building.

— Reappoint James Crumrine, Fernando Galvan and James Riggle to the Board of Adjustment.

— Return Leticia Muñoz and Brenda Treviño to the Beeville Economic Improvement Corporation board and replace Dave Moore and Orlando Vasquez with Gilbert Herrera and Felipita Bastida.

— Reappoint Gilbert Herrera, Luis “Tiny” Longoria and Mitch Elliott to the Parks and Recreation Commission.


Page 10A Saturday, June 2, 2012 Beeville Bee-Picayune

P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch and Beeville’s water storage tanks.

Up to 250,000 gallons of treated water a day is gurgling up from the con-crete pipeline in different locations and into farm-ers’ and ranchers’ fields, Urban said.

“And we’ve bought that and we’ve treated that,” BWSD Board President Jim Crumrine said.

That means the water district has paid the City of Corpus Christi for each thousand gallons that is pumped from the Nueces River at the headwaters of Lake Corpus Christi and then paid for the chemicals and machinery that treated the water and pumped it to Beeville.

Urban said the BWSD has not been repairing

the leaks because the dis-trict does not have the money to do that.

City crews have been making the repairs to the best of their ability but the patchwork has done little to prevent addition-al leaks from popping up along the line.

Interim City Manager and Finance Director Deborah Ballí said she has been told that there are at least 36 leaks along

the 30-year-old transmis-sion line.

“That’s valuable water,” Urban said.

Crumrine said the leaks are obvious because of the cattails growing where the water is leaking.

“They’re extremely embarrassing,” Crumrine said. “It can’t be ignored any more.” He estimated later that leaks could be costing the city $700 a day and up to $20,000 a month.

“That is the priority,” Urban told the board and council. Then he point-ed out that the district has some large expenses ahead in addition to the money that needs to be spent on repairing the pipeline.

Urban said there is no money available for mov-ing the district’s intake structure down farther into the lake. And there

is no money for a badly needed, third clarifier at the water treatment plant.

By 2014, there will be other items on the dis-trict’s list of projects that need to be funded.

Urban suggested hav-ing the city track down where most of its water currently is going. He said the fact that water usage has increased with the arrival of businesses related to the Eagle Ford

Shale oil field operations suggests that some of that treated water may be used in the oil field.

The engineer said those companies do not need, expensive, potable water for their operations. He suggested bringing some of the city’s lesser quality wells on line and figuring out a way to sell wastewa-ter plant effluent to those customers.

It was mentioned that one of the city’s poten-tially large water users is located a short distance from one of the old wells on Mussett Street.

Currently, Beeville has tighter water use restric-tions in effect than the City of Corpus Christi.

But Crull said that when that city tightens up its water use regulations, the same restrictions will go into effect for all cities which take water from Corpus Christi’s reser-voirs.

If the drought in the Coastal Bend, which is now into its second year, does not break soon, Crull said Corpus Christi could start significantly reduc-ing water usage.

He said industries would be the first to see a curtailment of available water. Residential cus-tomers would be the last customers affected.

John Valls, a consultant for Ballí, said plans are for the city to reach out to

oil-related industries con-nected to Beeville’s water system to determine what they need.

Urban cautioned about paying for equipment that will provide huge increas-es in water availability because the oil production companies will only need that water for probably the next 10 years. If the city sells 30-year bonds to provide water for oil com-panies, it could be repay-ing those bond long after the need for that water has subsided.

Crull pointed out that the combined lake levels for Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir are at about 52.8 percent. Voluntary water restrictions do not

kick in until the combined levels drop below 50 per-cent.

Crull said that, based on current lake levels and water usage and evapora-tion rates, the combined lake levels will not reach the 40 percent mark until the end of this summer.

Ballí said Beeville already is in Condition 3, not so much because of lake levels but because of its ability to get treated water here.

Crull said if the city already had the items completed on its list for this summer, it would only be in Condition 2.


City eyes solutions to water leaks plaguing lines(Continued from 1A)

(Continued from 1A)

Urban Engineering paid $94K for wastewater design work

Contributed graphic

The above graph shows how city water usage has increased from 2008 through 2011.

‘They (water leaks) are extremely embarrassing. It can’t be ignored any more.’

— Jim Crumrine, BWSD board president

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Gridiron returns. Page 10A

Obits: Berger, Channel, Farias, Moore, Sauceda. Page 2A Inside: Tax-free weekend approaches. Page 3A

Vol. 126 — No. 31 Beeville, Texas Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 Two Sections, 20 Pages 75¢

Dammed:What happens when lake levels plummet?

Graphic provided by CorpusChristi.USGulf.info

The above graphic shows just how low Lake Corpus Christi is com-pared to the prior years of 2011 and 2010.

This small watering hole is, or was, part of Lake Corpus Christi. Plummeting levels have left areas high and dry. Residents in the area say they have traded their boats in for tractors to mow what

was once the Nueces River and lake bed. They are concerned because this is the lowest it has been in recent memory. Many say water should be released from the dam at Choke Canyon.

Jason Collins photo

Cooking: Meth with the Merlos

Father, mother, son arrested in drug raidBy Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — A 37-year-old man, his 35-year-old wife and their 18-year-old son were arrested last Thursday evening for methamphetamine manufacturing and pos-session following a drug raid on their home.

According to Police Chief Joe Treviño, nar-cotics investigators and the Beeville Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics

A can holds cash and items used in cooking meth-amphetamine for injection. The items are part of the evidence collected during an Aug. 9 raid on a home in the 200 block of East Catherine Street.Contributed photo


BEEVILLE — “We’ve got water,” Beeville Water Supply District Board President Jim Crumrine said Monday.

Crumrine was commenting on a rumor that was spreading that claimed the city had only a 40-day supply of water available.

“They’re releasing water so that we can continue to draw it” at the city’s raw water intake structure at Swinney Switch, Crumrine assured city residents.

“I’m not concerned,” he said. “I am very concerned that we’re not going to have enough water in

the future,” Crumrine continued. But he said the city is not facing a dire shortage of water at this time.

“Is it an emergency?” Crumrine asked. “Yeah, it’s getting close.”

However, the board president said he feels certain that Beeville is not facing an eminent threat of running out of water in the next month.

Crumrine said there is enough water in the Choke Canyon Reservoir to fill up Lake Corpus Christi several times.

City has ample supplyGeorge P. Morrill, I Water

Treatment Plant Superintendent Hector Salinas also did not express concern about the city’s water supply.

‘i am very concerned that we’re not going to have enough water in the future.’

— Jim Crumrine, Beeville Water Supply District Board President


Above, the water intake structure towers above a shallow Nueces River. Residents in the area say this is the lowest they have seen the river in years. On right, this pier is usually just above the water level. Now, the river isn’t even visible – only grass.

(See Canyon, 6A)

(See Family, 8A)

•Kurt House builds spanish-style mission in Live oak County a a landmark of history.

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A Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 Beeville Bee-Picayune

BeevilleLivestock

CommissionSale: 11:00 a.m.August 10, 2012

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playground, and a new tennis court

He said Urban Engineering is working on making sure that the city has ample supplies from Corpus Christi’s reservoirs, Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir.

Engineer Jim Urban, one of the principals of the Urban firm, repeated what Salinas said.

“The City of Corpus Christi is in complete con-trol of releasing water,” Urban said.

BWSD’s intake struc-ture can continue to take water out of the Nueces River when the level of Lake Corpus Christi is at 77 feet above sea level.

“It’s at 77.9 feet right now,” Urban said. Corpus Christi has every inten-tion of maintaining the 77-foot level of the lake for the time being.

Citizens get nervousUrban expressed con-

cern that apparently Beeville residents get “whipped up” about a possible water emergen-cy every now and then. He said some type of mechanical failure in a pump or in some equip-ment at the treatment plant at Swinney Switch is more likely to interrupt Beeville’s flow of water than a drop in lake levels.

The falling level of Lake Corpus Christi is part of Corpus Christi’s water management plan. But Urban said there is probably enough water in Choke Canyon to last two years.

The level of Lake Corpus Christi is allowed to fall during periods of drought, because when rainfall comes to the Coastal Bend, that lake needs to catch water.

If Choke Canyon fills up and overflows, the water going down the Nueces River is caught in Lake Corpus Christi.

But if Lake Corpus Christi fills up and over-flows, that water is lost downstream.

“You can’t pump it back up to Choke Canyon,” Urban said.

Evaporates faster at Lake CC

Also, because Lake Corpus Christi has silted up over the years and is no longer a deep lake, water evaporates much faster there than in Choke Canyon.

The latest lake level report proves that. It revealed that the level at Lake Corpus Christi had dropped by .07 feet from the previous day, while the level at Choke Canyon had not fallen any in the same period.

The City of Corpus Christi’s web site shows that Lake Corpus Christi is considered full when the level of water is at 94 feet above sea level.

At that point the lake holds 257,260 acre-feet of water. The bottom of that lake is at 55 feet above sea level.

Choke Canyon Reservoir is full when its water level is at 220.5 feet above sea level and the lake holds 695,271 acre-feet of water. The bottom of that lake is at 132 feet above sea level.

At its current 77.94 feet, Lake Corpus Christi is down by 16.6 feet and now is at only 17.7 per-cent of capacity. At this time last year, the lake was at 53.1 percent of capacity.

This week the level at Choke Canyon is at 206.12 feet and it is hold-ing 54.4 percent of its capacity.Choke could refill lake

several timesUrban echoed

Crumrine’s statement that there is enough water in Choke Canyon to fill Lake Corpus Christi several times.

Urban said Corpus Christi continuously seeks new sources of water for that city. Recent efforts include the construc-tion of the Mary Rhodes Pipeline from Lake Texana and an agree-ment with the Garwood Irrigation Company for the purchase of 35,000 acre-feet of water a year.

But there are several communities that depend on Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir for their water supplies and Urban said the City of Corpus Christi will honor those commit-ments.

Corpus Christi does intend eventually to allow the level of the lower lake to draw down to 74 feet above sea level. But that cannot be done now, because it would leave cit-ies like Beeville and Alice without water. State agencies will not allow that to happen.

Corpus Christi will give those cities the opportu-nity to rearrange their intake structures so that they can continue to take water at that depth.Need alternate sources

Urban said Beeville needs to arrange for alter-nate water supplies in the event of a problem with the surface water system. That means depending on ground water (wells) for backup.

The city had agreed to maintain several of the wells that were no longer used after Beeville built the current surface water system. In fact, in pre-vious droughts, Beeville has used its wells to blend with surface water sup-plies to maintain a steady flow of water. But only two or three of those orig-inal five wells are opera-tional now, Crumrine said.

Urban said Beeville would still have to use surface water in the future in the event that it has to pump water from the aquifers again. The quality of the water in the aquifers is marginal and would have to be blended with surface water.

“I don’t want to say it’s a rosy situation,” Urban opined. However, with the recent installation of new pumps at the intake structure and other improvements expected in the months ahead, the engineer believes Beeville is on the right track to correct its problems.

For example, the city has hired HDR Engineering to prepare a report on the location and quality of the water in aquifers that could be tapped for emergencies.

Oil field increases water usage

One of the concerns is that water usage for the city has increased by about a million gallons a day. Urban believes the increase in oil field activities in the Beeville area is responsible for much of that. He said oil field operations could use other sources of water, such as wastewater treat-ment plant effluent.

Another fix Beeville needs to address is the leaky pipeline between Swinney Switch and the city’s storage tanks. That has been a significant problem for years. That situation is being studied, and, hopefully, a solution can be found before long.

Corpus Christi has already been paid for water leaking from that 18-mile line, and Beeville has already treated it.

Also, when it comes to the volume of lake water used in the Coastal Bend, Beeville’s portion is not that significant. Beeville is using about 5 million gallons a day (mgd). But Corpus Christi uses 100 million-plus gallons of water a day, Urban said.

“If it were 4 percent or 5 percent, I’d be surprised,” Urban said.



Above, a pier stretches out into grassland – an area once covered by the water of Lake Corpus Christi. The area surrounding Swinney Switch is much different now because of the drought. What was once lake and river is now being mowed.

Choke dam is opened when Corpus lake levels drop(Continued from 1A)

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Beeville Bee-PicayuneSection A, PAge 4wedneSdAy,Aug. 15, 2012

Polio vaccine drive called a success(Bee-PicayuneAug. 16, 1962)

A most successful cam-paign attempted in Bee County was recorded Sunday afternoon when 15,116 persons braved the 103-degree weather and went to the stations to receive the Sabin oral vaccine for the prevention of poliomyelitis.

This was the first of a series of three doses of oral vaccine that will be given at intervals of five weeks apart.

More than 100 doc-tors, nurses, pharmacists and volunteer workers manned the four stations in Bee County Sunday afternoon. A doctor, nurse and pharmacist were pres-ent at each station.

A follow-up clinic to administer the Sabin oral vaccine will be held at the courthouse and at Pawnee High School Saturday, Aug. 18, for the benefit

of those who were unable to take the vaccine in the countywide campaign last Sunday.

Dr. John Reagan, presi-dent of the Bee County Medical Society, sponsor of the project, said this will be the last opportunity to get the Type 1 vaccine free of charge. (A dona-tion of 25 cents per per-son is requested but not required.)

Pancho A. owned by Jim and Jean Atkinson of Kenedy, was acclaimed high-point horse of the first Appaloosa Horse Show staged at the Fair Grounds Friday and Saturday under the aus-pices of the Bee County Show Association.

About 1,000 persons vis-ited the show during the two-day stand, despite the extremely warm weather.

It has been decided to make the event an annual affair, Edwin Turnipseede, association president, said.

Harold Mulkey was show superintendent, O.G. Copeland of Goliad was the judge, and serv-ing on the show committee with Mulkey were John B. Hensley, Buck Harris, Layton E. Adams and Rhett Johnson of Kenedy.

Twelve citizens of Belgium, traveling through the United States under the sponsorship of the World Travel Exchange of New York City, will arrive in Beeville Friday evening, Aug. 17, and will be week-end guests of Bee County families. They are making the trip in station wagons.

A program of entertain-ment has been arranged by a group of citizens for the visitors. Included will be a tour of Chase Field; a barbecue supper at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Meyer; a tour of the recycling plant at Pettus conducted by Bill Phillips, president of the Chamber of Commerce; a tour of a Bee County ranch; and a visit to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dudley Dougherty, nine miles north of Beeville, for a swimming party.

Around 700 people are expected to attend the Bee County Farm Bureau’s annual barbecue and queen’s contest to be held on the Beeville Country Club lawn Monday, Aug. 20, starting at 6 p.m., announced Bill Cude, president.

Prof. Russell J. Cook of Kingsville, associate director of the Division of Agriculture of A&I College, will be the prin-cipal speaker and serve as master of ceremonies.

– Chip Latcham

50 years ago

Education agency explains lackluster progress score

AUSTIN — Forty-four percent of Texas campuses met federal Adequate Yearly Progress targets this year, the Texas Education Agency announced Aug. 8.

The agency attributed Texas’ score to steep increases required by the No Child Left Behind Act, and mentioned that the state’s request “to use a similar approach with the federal system” and carry over the 2011 AYP ratings into 2012 as the state transitions to the new STAAR testing program (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) was denied by the U.S. Department of Education.

Under this federal school accountabil-ity system, the TEA explained, a school or district this year met AYP require-ments if 87 percent or more of their stu-dents passed the state reading/English language arts test; 83 percent of their students passed the state mathematics test; 95 percent of their students par-ticipated in the state testing program and, depending on the grade level, had either a 75 percent graduation rate or a 90 percent attendance rate. Twenty-eight percent of Texas districts met these high standards, the TEA said.

Those requirements are comparable to Recognized or Exemplary level per-formance in the 2011 state accountabil-ity system.

Shoulders increase safetyThe Texas Department of

Transportation on Aug. 9 published its finding that state highways are safer thanks to the adding of shoulders and width to more than 1,000 miles of rural, two-lane highways.

Texas Transportation Institute’s study of three years of pre- and post-improvement data on more than a thou-sand miles of narrow two-lane highways show that on 1,159 miles of recently added highway shoulders, there were 133 fewer fatalities and 895 fewer inju-ries compared to prior to widening, TxDOT reported.

The Texas Transportation Institute, part of The Texas A&M University System and headquartered at College Station, was founded in 1950.

Funding for such state highway improvements comes from 2003, when voters gave the Texas Transportation Commission the authority to issue $3 billion in bonds to pay for state highway improvements, TxDOT explained. The law stipulated that 20 percent of that amount must be used to fund projects that would reduce crashes or correct

or improve hazardous locations on the state system.

Tax revenue climbs againTexas Comptroller Susan Combs

announced Aug. 8 that state sales tax revenue in July was $2.05 billion, up 10.1 percent compared to July 2011.

“Business spending in the oil and natural gas industry and other sectors continues to be robust,” Combs said in an agency news release. “That spend-ing, along with increases in consumer sectors such as retail trade, continues to boost sales tax collections. State sales tax revenue has now increased for 28 consecutive months.”

Combs said August local sales tax allocations totaling $632.1 million will be returned to cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts.

Graduation rate calculatedThe Texas Education Agency on Aug.

3 announced the statewide “on-time” graduation rate climbed to an all-time high, reaching 85.9 percent for the Class of 2011.

The reported rate is 1.6 percentage points higher than the previous record set by the Class of 2010, and more than 92 percent of the 319,588 students in the Class of 2011 either graduated in four years or continued high school for a fifth year, the agency added.

‘FirstNet’ permit OK’dThe Federal Communications

Commission has authorized a permit for Texas to operate a broadband network designed for first responders to share more data and access to communica-tion resources, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced on Aug. 3.

Man executed for murderMarvin Lee Wilson, 54, was executed

by lethal injection in Huntsville by the State of Texas on Aug. 7 for the murder of 21-year-old Jerry Robert Williams in 1992. He was the 484th death row inmate to be executed since the Texas death penalty was reinstituted in 1982.

State Capitol

HighlightsBy Ed Sterling

Texas Press Association

Most precious resource deserves our full attention

We’ll admit we are among those who became appre-hensive upon hearing talk that Beeville was down to

about a 40-day supply of water.With today’s front-page story,

we’re relieved to learn from engineer Jim Urban and other authorities that Beeville is not going dry. They believe there’s enough water in Choke Canyon to last two years and the City of Corpus Christi will honor its com-mitments to provide our water supply from Lake Corpus Christi.

Even though El Niño has been fore-cast to break the drought and provide some badly needed rains to our lakes, fields and pastures this fall/winter, we join those officials in encouraging the Beeville Water Supply District and City Council to take the necessary steps to ensure we have an adequate supply not just for today, but for the future of our growing community.

Urban said Beeville needs to arrange for alternate water supplies in the event of a problem with the surface water system. That means depending on ground water (wells) for backup.

BWSD President Jim Crumrine said

only two or three of the original five city water wells are operational now. Let’s fix this problem immediately so we can blend water to meet our needs, when necessary, or have to rely on the wells in an emergency.

Another fix Beeville must address is the leaky pipeline between Swinney Switch and the city’s storage tanks. That has been a significant, extremely wasteful problem for years, which we have mentioned numerous times. We urge city planners who have been studying the situation to find a solu-tion soon.

Water officials have been considering the cost of moving our intake structure deeper into the lake and have made several expensive improvements at the Morrill plant to send more treated water to this city, and for that we com-mend them.

However, as they pointed out, the increase in oil field activities in the Beeville area has raised the city’s water usage by about a million gallons a day. The Eagle Ford Shale boom is not going to disappear tomorrow. This needs to be our No. 1 priority.

– Chip Latcham

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BEEVILLE — Joseph Masturzo was standing before commissioners this week asking that they look into the grow-ing number of small signs along state and federal highways.

“I have a little concern,” he told the court during their Monday meeting. “In less than five miles coming to town, all I see is signs on the side of the road that say ‘Tire Shop.’

“I have been asked by people in Corpus and Victoria if the court is considering changing the name of Bee County to Tire Shop.”

Commissioner Eloy Rodriguez expressed that he would look into the signs – it’s just a matter of what can be done.

He said, “I have seen them not only there, but on Highway 59 west, 181 north and south.

“My understanding is they are on state prop-

erty.”Masturzo said that he

hopes Rodriguez or one of the other commissioners

is able to limit or elimi-nate the small, roadside signs.

“I moved to Beeville 20

years ago, because Bee County is a beautiful county,” he said. “These signs do nothing but take away from Bee County.

“It cheapens the county.

“It is in your hands.

“Please take care of it. Let’s not degener-ate to what the roads in New York City use to be 40 years ago. They got smart, and they are not allowed anymore.”

On Monday, county leaders also:

• Approved the use of the courthouse lawn an Oct. 2 Night Out event hosted by the Coastal Bend Crime Stoppers.

• Approved the speed limit of 35 mph on County Road 422.

• Approved required repairs to a radio tower located on Farm-To-Market Road 799.

• Approved various items requested by the Bee Community Action Agency.

Beeville Bee-Picayune Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012 Page 5A

SOLDIER COMING HOME!PFC ESTRADA

Rebecca Marie Estrada will be returning to Beeville on Friday, August 17th after training at Fort Jackson

in South Carolina and at Fort Lee in Virginia. We are so proud of her and all her achievements.

Her Mom, Sylvia and her Step Dad, InezShe is the daughter of the late Adam Estrada, Sr.

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Just pennies a day.Paul Baca Jr, Agent510 E Houston St

Beeville, TX 78102Bus: 361-358-1169

[email protected]

Happy, Happy Fabulous 60th Birthday!

Mary CastilloAugust 18th is your 60th birthdaythough you look so good, it’s true,so we’d like to take this momentto say ‘Happy Birthday’ to you....

You are truly loved!Family & Friends�

Praise for DeWitt and HaggardEditor:

Kudos to County Commissioners Dennis DeWitt and Ken Haggard (Bee-Picayune article Aug. 8) for not joining other members of the court to vote for a 5 per-cent raise for themselves. It’s disappointing that the majority vote by the coun-ty court imitates actions

taken by our legislators at the national level, who likewise vote themselves raises as they choose. Locally, this vote reflects a lack of sensitivity by three individuals during hard economic times.

Thank you, Mr. DeWitt and Mr. Haggard, for putting your constituents first.Sincerely, Kathleen Trial

Water woesEditor:

I read in the Aug. 15 edition of the Beeville paper that our water resources are diminishing daily with no apparent relief in sight. I believe that is time to do some-thing about it.

When the Nueces River was impounded in the 1940s to create Lake Corpus Christi, the popu-lation in this area wasn’t nearly the number of peo-ple and businesses that it is today. Since then, the layers of silt have accu-mulated over the years at the bottom of the lake and lessened its capacity also. Then, along comes Choke Canyon and the Lake Texana pipeline – a

pair of projects that were designed to ensure that there was sufficient water for Corpus Christi.

As of Aug. 15, Lake Corpus Christi sits at 17%, Choke Canyon sits at 54% and Texana sits at 95%. The release of water from Choke Canyon is a tough decision to make because of its place as a huge recreational facility, and there would probably be political and financial pressure not to release. Some old-timers say not to worry, because we will get a hurricane or tropi-

cal storm to fill up the lake. I have been in this area for 31 years, and this is the lowest I have ever seen Lake Corpus Christi. Let’s quit talking about the weather and do something about it.

My point is this. Desalination is the way to go. There is a limitless supply of water less than 100 miles away, which could be desalinated to maintain a more accept-able lake level for this area. The U.S. military has been doing it for years, and it works. The

only problem with this is that it costs money, and when you mention spending a large amount of money on something, people tend to get really nervous.

There is one more alter-native to our water situa-tion. We could buy tank-ers loaded up with water from China. Why not? We get everything else from there.

Desalination. Think about it. David J. Brownell, Beeville

Letters to the editor

The Bee-Picayune welcomes letters to the editor. Anyone wishing to submit a letter for publication may do so, pro-vided that his/her name, address and telephone number is included. It is our longstanding policy not to accept or run unsigned letters. All others, provided they are authenticated, pertinent to the community’s interests, not libelous, not self-promotional in lieu of purchasing legitimate advertising, or overly lengthy, may be run on a space-available basis as determined by the editor. All letters must be no longer than two, double-spaced, typewritten pages (or 500 words) and may be subject to editing. E-mail can be sent to [email protected].

Questions raised about new signs along highway

Council denies electrical permit for RV ownerBy Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — A local woman who wanted to have electricity connected to a travel trailer at the Meyer Mobile Home Park will have to move the vehi-cle to another location.

City Council members voted to deny the wom-an’s request to have the connection made when they discussed the matter Tuesday evening.

That decision came in spite of the fact that the City Planning Commission voted last week to allow the connection to be made.

The owner of the trailer said another recreation vehicle is already set up on the property, and she was told the trailer had been there since January.

But Councilwoman Libby Spires stressed the fact that the city’s ordi-nance does not allow trav-el trailers to be used as residences within the city limits.

She and Mayor Pro Tem

Mike Scotten both were concerned about similar cases being brought to the City Council in the future if the trailer were allowed to remain in an area des-ignated as a mobile home or manufactured home park.

City Building Inspector Albert Vilches said the definition of a manufac-tured home, according to the ordinance, requires that the trailer be at least eight feet wide and 14 feet long. The structure should have at least 820 square feet.

Also, manufactured homes are only allowed in areas zoned for those structures.

The trailer that the petitioner wanted con-nected to electricity does not meet those require-ments.

“If it’s allowed, what’s to keep the next RV from locating there?” City Attorney Frank Warner asked the council.

Vilches said he had

intended to deny the per-mit for the electrical con-nection until the planning commission voted in favor of allowing the woman to keep the trailer there.

“If it’s not allowed by the ordinance, I don’t understand how it hap-pened,” Spires said.

Spires then asked if property off South Adams Street near the Meyer property had recently been allowed to be used as an RV park.

At least three properties within the city limits have been allowed to serve as RV parks, but those were approved after the own-ers had made substantial investments in the prop-erties and had threatened legal action if their proj-ects were not approved.

The point being made by Spires, Scotten and Warner was stressed when two men in the audience said they have four acres within the city that they would like to develop into an RV park.

“If you allow that RV in the city limits, then my friend can develop an RV park on his property?” Roy Galvan asked the council.

The RV owner told the council that she had been assured she could move into the space where the trailer is located now but that she has only been allowed to connect water to the structure.

Spires stopped the dis-cussion on the matter by making a motion that the request for an electrical permit be denied.

That motion was sec-onded by Scotten. When the vote was taken, Councilman John Fulghum abstained, allowing the motion to carry with only two votes.

Mayor Santiago “Jimbo” Martinez Jr. and Councilman David Carabajal were not at the meeting.


Bill Clough photo

This Tire Shop sign along U.S. Highway 59 has one resident concerned as he says, ‘Let’s not degenerate to what the roads in New York City used to be 40 years ago.’ Commissioners agreed Monday to look into the signs and their legality.

Contributed photo

Gold and Silver Buyers, located at 406 E. FM Road 351, recently joined the Bee County Chamber of Commerce family. Pictured (from left) are: Jonathan Saenz - Gold and Silver employee, Viola Salazar - board member, Dan Adamez, Dr. Sue Thomas - board member, Enrique Del Rio - Gold and Silver employee, Scott Childress - board president, Glenda Hernandez, Mickey Ochoa - board member, Joy Burkhardt and Bebe Adamez.

BuyerS join ChAmBer

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361-358-2550.

They’re back. Page 7A

TUEMONSUNSAT

97 74

9674

95 74

94 75

PArTly Cloudy

PArTly Cloudy

PArTly Cloudy

ChAnCe of T-sTorms

LIFESTYLE

Love of the land. Page 3A

Latest onLine video

SouTex

my

.com

SouTex .com

•senator tries his hand at driving an 18-wheeler.

Obits: Allison. Page 2A Inside: Snapshots of a well-traveled pastor’s life, and look to retirement. Page 3A

Vol. 126 — No. 34 Beeville, Texas Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012 Two Sections, 30 Pages 75¢

Bumper stars

By Paul GonzalesBee-Picayune staff

BEEvillE — The Hurricane Alley Roller Derby House, affec-tionately called the H.A.R.D. House, sits neatly at a corner of a rundown shopping center on 3952 leopard St. in Corpus Christi.

it’s an unassuming venue, hidden away from the bright lights of Corpus Christi, and, if it wasn’t for the huge “H.A.R.D. House” sign above the place, no one would ever think twice about it.

But it’s what’s inside the con-verted reception hall that draws hundreds of fans to its now-hallowed halls.

SKiDMORE — The Skidmore-Tynan independent School District has proposed to lower its tax rate by a nickel for the next fiscal year.

The previous tax rate was $1.60 per $100 valuation; the

new proposed rate is $1.55.The board will approve the

new budget at its special meet-ing Aug. 29.

The rate is broken down into two parts: a maintenance and operation tax of $1.10 and $.45

for debt reduction. The reduction is thanks to

two reasons: low bond interest rates and the elimination of an optional homestead exemption.

“When the district sold bonds for the new elementary school,

it received a very low interest rate because of the district’s strong financial rating and fund balance,” explains dis-trict Business Manager Carole Estes.

That allowed for lower pay-

ments this coming year, she says.

in addition, last June the board eliminated an optional homestead exemption.

Drive for a better educationBy Jason CollinsBee-Picayune staff

BEEvillE – U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, had nothing but praise for the work Coastal Bend College faculty and staff are doing to offer training for those wanting the education needed to enter the Eagle Ford Shale workforce.

“This serves a lot of critical needs in this area,” Cornyn said after his tour of the CBC oil and gas industry’s workforce program.

S-TISD proposes nickel lower tax rate


BEEvillE — “Just because people aren’t hear-ing about it doesn’t mean we aren’t working on it,” City Manager Deborah Ballí said about Beeville’s water concerns last week.

She was commenting on plans to assure that Beeville will contin-ue to have plenty of water in the future.

Ballí’s comments came just days after members of the Beeville Water Supply District board voted to sell $1.4 million in bonds.

That is the last of the $13 million in bonds that the BWSD was autho-rized to sell more than 30 years ago in a citywide election.

“You hope for the best but plan for the worst,” Ballí said in

ell ishes

Paul Gonzales photo

Roller Derby girl, Holly Grail, shakes off an opponent Saturday at the ‘H.A.R.D. for the Cure’ event that took place at the H.A.R.D. House in Corpus Christi. See the video online this weekend at www.mySouTex.com

Skaters help raise money for cancer research

City eyes new sources to strengthen

water supply

‘of course, being able to booty

block people and shove them out of the ring and into the chairs is always a lot of fun.’

— Jo Anne Estrada, aka D’Manda Kiss

roller derBy

Jason Collins file photo

City officials are looking at ways of improving the water supply. This could include not only wells but improvements to the city’s main wastewater treatment plant and possible changes (including mov-ing) the city’s raw water intake structure at the mouth of Lake Corpus Christi.

Darrell Shed, truck driving

simulation instructor at

Coastal Bend College, gives

instructions to U.S. Sen.

John Cornyn during his

visit earlier this week.

The senator praised the college and

staff for their work to get

students trained for

jobs in the oil and gas field. See the video

online at www.mySou-

Tex.comJason Collins photo

(See Skaters, 6A)

(See Cornyn, 6A)

(See Officials, 15A)

(See S-TISD, 2A)

•Roller derby at the H.a.R.d. House in Corpus.

W

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Beeville Bee-Picayune Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012 Page 15A

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Now I can see my dentist when I need to.

That’s one less thing for me to worry about.

her office at City Hall.Variety of options

Options facing the BWSD board and the City Council include develop-ing a minimum of new groundwater supplies as a backup or planning for a maximum sup-ply of groundwater with the expectation that the lakes could eventually go dry. Those options also include creating more dependable methods for pumping and treating surface water from Lake Corpus Christi.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Ballí said of the projects that will be pos-sible to achieve with the bond sale. “The projects will help secure water for our future.”

The city manager said Beeville is looking at sev-eral projects designed to improve its ability to deliver water to resi-dents. Those projects include well development, an automated meter reading system, repair or replacement of much of the 24-inch, 18-mile water line between the George P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch and the city’s storage tanks. They also include improve-ments to the city’s main wastewater treatment plant and possible chang-es (including moving) the city’s raw water intake structure at the mouth of Lake Corpus Christi.

“It’s a lot of high dollar projects,” Ballí said. And taking on those projects will require more bond sales in the future.

More water bonds needed

However, the BWSD

does not have the author-ity to sell more bonds. Acquiring that authority will require a new elec-tion, giving city residents a chance to vote for or against future bond sales.

BWSD Board President Jim Crumrine has said he would like to see that election held sometime early next year. He and other water board mem-bers believe passage of that authorization is vital to Beeville’s future.

The $1.4 million bond sale was a bargain for water district taxpayers.

Duncan Morrow and Steve Elliott of Southwest Securities announced on the day of the sale that Braymen, Lambert and Noel Securities was pur-chasing the bonds at a 1.07 percent interest rate.

“Any time you can sell bonds at a 1 per-cent interest rate, that’s a good thing,” Crumrine said as the board voted to go ahead with the sale.

The bonds will be repaid in four years. Total interest costs will be only $37,900.Upgrading the systemThe proceeds of the

sale will allow the dis-trict to continue its efforts to upgrade the system. Many of those projects already have been com-pleted, including the installation of new pumps and motors at the raw water intake structure and the pump station at Clareville.

Most of the projects would sound like Greek to the layman. Those include installing a flow meter on each filter discharge line, upgrading the turbid-ity system at the Morrill

plant, installing a drain line valve, sump pump and alarm system in the filter pipe gallery pit and restructuring the caustic containment well.

Other projects are eas-ier to understand, like cleaning the existing ground storage tank at Clareville and demolish-ing the old one or clean-ing out the sludge drying beds.

Some of that work already has been accom-plished.

Additional water sources

As for the projects that need to be done in the future, Ballí said find-ing additional sources of water may be the most important.

Right now that means locating sites for wells. An HDR Engineering study conducted for the city revealed that the best quality wells would be located southeast of the city.

Ballí said several locations look promis-ing, including existing wells at the Chase Field Industrial and Airport Complex. Those sites are all close to an unused water line the city had built between Beeville and Chase Field back in the 1990s.

Some of the wells in that area are shallow, how-ever, and would be inca-pable of providing enough volume to be worth a sub-stantial investment.

Some wells the city could develop would be deeper and could produce more water. But the city does not yet know the condition of those wells or the cost of developing them.

Jim Urban of Urban Engineering in Corpus Christi also said there could be some treatment issues for the water from those wells.

Well water in this part of the state usually

has high levels of chlo-rides. But Urban has told BWSD board members that chloride levels also have increased in surface water here over the years.

Three-phase projectBallí said a lot of work

needs to be done between now and the next bond election. The city needs to decide how much backup will be needed to pro-vide ample water for the community. Will the city need another 1.3 million gallons of water a day? That would be what she calls Phase 1. Phase 2 would provide another three mgd, and Phase 3 would make it possible to supplement the city’s water supplies by up to four mgd.

Ballí said the city may also want to entertain the option of doing away with surface water completely.

“It depends on how much of a backup plan we want and what we can afford to do,” Ballí said. The results will deter-mine what level of bond sales the water district needs to bring to the vot-ers next year.

The city will need a rate study to determine how best to spread out the costs of future bond payments. Some of that money will have to come from water rates. Some will have to come from property taxes.

One of the improve-ments Ballí would like to see is the automated meter reading system. Towers located in the city would be able to collect meter information from individual customers and send that information to City Hall on an hourly basis.

That would allow the city to pinpoint leaks in water lines and in cus-tomers’ buildings. Those leaks could then be repaired, saving signifi-cant amounts of water that, today, may be wast-ed.

Corpus Christi to maintain lake levelAs far as the current

water situation, Ballí and others feel confident. She shares the opinions expressed recently by Urban and Crumrine. As long as the City of Corpus Christi maintains the water level in Lake Corpus Christi at 77 feet above sea level, Beeville will be able to draw water from the intake structure.

The situation depends on whether the City of Corpus Christi manages its resources well. “And it looks like they are,” Ballí said.

“The TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) has got our back. Corpus Christi is not going to let 300,000 people go without water,” Ballí said.

Ballí and Urban have pointed out that even though Beeville residents have been observing water rationing proce-dures for months, Corpus Christi has yet to begin mandatory rationing in that city.

Ballí expects that to change, probably with-in a month unless Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir receive some significant rainfall.


Officials say bonds needed to strengthen water supply

Jason Collins file photo

Lake Corpus Christi is low - way low. Beeville planners want to ensure that the city has ample water, and that might mean a bond issue next year to fund new wells and repair existing intake lines.

(Continued from 1A)

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Beeville Bee-PicayuneSection A, PAge 4SAturdAy,dec. 1, 2012

Three million bats make old railroad tunnel a popular tourist attraction

The first thing anyone notices while walking down the trail toward the old tunnel is the smell, the olfactory result of all the guano deposited by the three million or so bats that live there part of the year.

Fortunately for visitors, the odor lin-gers only in a short segment of the half-mile trail that goes past the long-abandoned railroad tunnel and loops around what remains of the railbed that led to it.

While the stench of bat droppings is transitory, what endures at Old Tunnel State Park 10 miles southeast of Fredericksburg are a couple of les-sons symbolized by the 920-foot tunnel beneath a Gillespie County prominence called Alamo Ridge.

The first lesson is a good example of the old saw that it’s best to be careful what you wish for.

Founded in 1846, when ox-drawn wagons represented the state of the art in transporting freight, Fredericksburg was the last stopping place for Western-bound travelers for decades. However, by the mid-1880s, Texas’ frontier had mostly faded, and Fredericksburg, while still a good place to spend the night, had settled into a comfortable status as county seat and local trade center.

Many Texas towns owed their exis-tence to railroads, but Fredericksburg remained accessible by road only. Then, in 1887, the San Antonio and Aranasas Pass Railway connected nearby Kerrville (only 22 miles from Fredericksburg) with the Alamo City and points beyond.

For the next quarter century, the powers that were in Gillespie County tried to get rail service for their county seat. More than two dozen attempts to develop funding for a railroad connec-tion to Fredericksburg failed for vari-ous reasons, but one man who kept at it was Temple Smith, a Virginian who had opened a bank in the then-predom-inantly German-American town.

In 1913, teaming with engineer Foster Crane, who had been involved in the development of Medina Dam near San Antonio, the two men finally came up with the money to build the rail-road, which would extend 24 miles from Fredericksburg to the existing trackage of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass (known as the SAP) between Waring and Comfort.

But because of a 300-foot increase in elevation from that point to Fredericksburg and the rugged hills that had to be traversed, it proved far more expensive to build the line than had been anticipated. The new route required either a trestle or a bridge for

about each mile of its length, and at the highest point – Alamo Ridge – the tracks would have to extend through a tunnel.

With hand tools, workers used dyna-mite stuffed into holes drilled into the limestone to blast out the tunnel. A team on each side of the hill worked to meet in the middle, digging in three levels so they wouldn’t have to use scaf-folding, which would have raised con-struction costs even higher. For prob-ably the same reason, the tunnel never had internal supports.

The tunnel cost $134,000 to dig – back when that was a huge amount of money. In fact, that aspect of the project caused a 67 percent cost over-run, an economic burden the line never overcame.

The first train arrived in Fredericksburg in October 1913, but the official celebration of new rail service did not come until Nov. 18, when the railroad’s lone engine pulled a passen-ger car full of VIPs from San Antonio into the town’s new depot. Portending future trouble, the train rolled in three hours late.

Finally, in 1942, it went out of busi-ness. The last train pulled out of Fredericksburg on July 29, and, within a week, crews had begun ripping up the tracks. With another world war under way, the War Production Board purchased the rails for use in building a road to Alaska. Some of the tracks also were shipped to Australia.

The second lesson offered by the old tunnel illustrates the law of unintend-ed consequences. With trains no lon-ger passing through the tunnel daily, it became excellent bat habitat. Since 1991, the old tunnel and 16.1 acres around it have been owned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which now operates it as a state park – Texas’ smallest.

Some three million Brazilian free-tailed bats live in the abandoned tunnel from May through October each year, along with a much smaller population of Cave myotis bats. As a popular tour-ist destination, the old tunnel brings more revenue to Fredericksburg than the railroad line ever did.

Texas tales

By Mike Cox

Former councilman found guilty(Bee-Picayune

Nov. 30 & Dec. 3, 1987)Former Beeville City

Councilman Joe Edward Hernandez, 38, was found guilty of criminal mischief as charged in the second of a two-count indictment fol-lowing a three-day trial in 156th District Court. The guilty verdict was handed down by a jury after 2 1/2 hours of deliberations Wednesday afternoon.

Hernandez, who faces up to 10 years in prison, also had been charged with burglary of a vehi-cle in the first count of the indictment. The jury convicted him only of the criminal mischief offense.

The defendant, a car salesman and disc jock-ey, was charged with the

offense stemming from a Feb. 7 incident when former city councilman and dance hall owner Joe Morón’s Ford pickup

truck was vandalized, bro-ken into and from which a credit card was stolen in front a bar on West Corpus Christi Street.

Testimony indicated that Hernandez gave the victim’s credit card to a 16-year-old so that she could make purchases.

The Commissioners Court this morning unani-mously approved a reso-lution concerning the Community Development Program grant application

for a Pettus community center/fire station.

Dewayne Bowman Sr. and volunteers distributed more than 825 turkey din-ners to needy families in Bee and Live Oak coun-ties on Thanksgiving Day. Bowman Distributing Co., which initiated this project four years ago and has been serving meals from its warehouse ever since, works directly with NAS Chase Field, the Beeville Vineyard, the Bee Community Action Agency and other businesses and individuals.

Former U.S. Rep. Abraham “Chick” Kazen Jr., 67, of Laredo died unexpectedly Sunday night in an Austin hospi-tal, after a short illness. He had suffered a severe heart attack Thursday while on a Thanksgiving visit to family members there and had been hospi-talized since then.

Flatonia shut out the Skidmore-Tynan Bobcats in Yorktown Friday night, ending their football sea-son with a 22-0 loss in the playoffs. Ten Bobcats were named to the All-District 16-A team, led by senior Mike Ramirez, a unani-mous selection at tight end on offense and a lineman on defense. Other two-way honorees included junior Aaron Salge, sopho-more Mike Benavidez and senior Sandy Benavidez.

Fifteen Beeville Trojans earned All-District 15-4A honors, led by first-team-ers lineman Tim Alaniz, receiver Kirk Dembo and tight end Stewart Adair.

– Chip Latcham

25 years ago

Playing with fireNot having sufficient water

Visitors to the Lake Corpus Christi area over the Thanksgiving weekend were shocked and surprised to see a

huge fire, which glowed in the night sky.Members of the Swinney Switch,

Lagarto and Mathis volunteer fire departments kept watch on the fire Thursday through Saturday.

Believed to have been started by fire-works, the blaze ignited trees and debris in the middle of the dry lake bed, which may have been a blessing in disguise. The fire may have rid the lake of much vegetation which sapped its valuable resource.

“It was a big, big section. You could see it from U.S. Highway 59. It looked like the whole country was on fire,” Fire Chief Lonnie Messer of the SSVFD said.

Then, the lead story in Thursday’s Corpus Christi Caller-Times noted that area lake levels were hovering just above 40 percent capacity. Corpus Christi officials were preparing to imple-ment mandatory restrictions, including no yard watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (The city of Beeville enacted tighter water use restrictions about seven months ago.)

Of course, motorists driving along U.S. 59 west of this city for years now have lamented the loss of treated lake water from leaks in the 30-year-old pipe-line from Swinney Switch to Beeville. Although the city has a program to

repair the leaks on a monthly budgeted basis, it seems there are always a few streams and cattails beside the road.

“They’re extremely embarrassing,” Jim Crumrine, BWSD board president, said in a story published in the Bee-Picayune six months ago. “It can’t be ignored any more.”

He estimated that leaks could be costing the city $700 a day and up to $20,000 a month.

As the money has started to come in from bond sales which were approved to improve the water system, Crumrine said, a study will be requested from Urban Engineering. Several water proj-ects could be implemented to greatly improve the flow of water to the city, including replacing the aging pipeline or supplementing with groundwater wells. Beeville could be facing a big bond issue election, probably by 2014.

Regardless, this city, if it’s going to continue to grow, will need a reliable source of water. Fortunately, even with-out additional rainfall, Choke Canyon, the much larger and deeper lake, still has a 2 1/2-year supply of water for this region, Crumrine said.

It seems the ones most impacted by the drought are those property own-ers along what once was a lake near Mathis, who in addition to depressing views now must put up with occasional fires where there should be water.

– Chip Latcham

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BEEVILLE — County commissioners once again banned the use of aerial fireworks this holiday season.

“We are talking specifi-cally the aerial fireworks with fins and sticks,” said Bee County Judge David Silva.

This ban of fireworks came at the recommen-dation of Robert Bridge, emergency manage-ment coordinator, during Monday’s Commissioners Court meeting.

Bridge, however, did not recommend that the burn ban be placed back on the agenda.

Bridge said, “I always consult with all the fire chiefs.

“They all felt very com-fortable going for another couple of weeks.

“More than likely after this cold spell here, they will suggest we ask for a burn ban.”

Bridge said that he and the fire chiefs would like to hold off as long as they can.

“There is a need for people to get rid of the underbrush and growth. They still needed some more time to do that.”

Currently, the county is listed in the 500-600 range on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index.

This index is the stan-

dard used to designate the potential for wildfires. The higher the number, the greater the risk.

The county is currently at the threshold of what is considered to be “in danger.”

Commissioners will meet next at 9 a.m. Dec. 31 and could discuss the burn ban then or sooner if an emergency meeting is called prior.

The aerial fireworks are a different story.

“When people are burn-ing, they use a lot of cau-tion,” Bridge said. “The farmers will burn early in the mornings when

the dew is on the ground. They will disk around the brush piles and use all the precautions they can.

“When people use fire-works, it is in the late afternoon and early eve-ning, and there is no dew.

“With the aerial fire-works, there is no control of where they go.

“Sometimes they go north. Sometimes they go east, south or west.

“Sometimes, they land on rooftops.”

Because of this errat-ic and unpredictable nature, it is best, he said, to not allow the bottle rocket style fireworks

considering the drought conditions.

“A lot of cities will ban them all the time,” Bridge said.

To Bee County’s west, the Live Oak County com-missioners also approved a ban on aerial fireworks.

Like Bee County, these commissioners also agreed to allow the pur-chase and use of tradi-tional, ground-style fire-works such as firecrack-ers.

During the Live Oak meeting, that county’s fire chief, Lonnie Messer, told the court that it was bottle rockets that started

the fire that was consum-ing the dry bed of Lake Corpus Christi.

The lake is at 17 per-cent capacity, a low level of which most people aren’t aware.

The fire had begun on Thanksgiving, Nov. 22, and had burned down to smoldering before reignit-ing.

Messer added then that the fire would not go out until all the tim-ber breaks down. The fire, thought to have been out, rekindled last week.

Just to the east in Goliad County, volunteer firefighters battled sever-al grass fires earlier this week.

Those commissioners on Monday implemented a burn ban to curtail the wildfires.

In other news, commis-sioners:

• Approved mak-ing Bridge an overtime exempt employee. “My contention is I should be an exempt employee,” he told the court. “During a hurricane or some type of natural disaster, it may involve lots and lots of hours, and I would not want to place the county in a position to have to pay that much overtime. All I am asking for is a day off here and there to compensate for that.”

• Approved payment of county bills.

• Approved numer-ous items relating to the Bee Community Action Agency including perfor-mance reports, minutes from meetings and credit card statements.


County orders ban on aerial fireworks this holiday

Taylor Jones, the daughter of Pamela Jones, will head to Washington, D.C., to join 400 teenagers invited to attend the second inauguration of President Barack Obama in January. Commissioner Eloy Rodriguez invited Jones and her mother to the court’s meeting Monday so that the other commissioners could meet her and hear of her accomplishment. She is an A.C. Jones High senior and a straight-A

student. Not only will she attend the inaugural on the National Mall but also will hear retired Gen. Colin Powell make the summit’s keynote speech. She is currently raising money to fund the trip estimated to cost about $4,000. Shown with Jones, seated from left, are Commissioners Carlos Salazar, Dennis DeWitt, County Judge David Silva and Rodriguez.

Jason Collins photo

City enters Condition 2 water restrictionsBEEVILLE — The City

of Beeville has announced that residents must begin Condition 2 water restric-tions.

The condition is required by the city’s Emergency Water Management Plan which was adopted in June 2009.

Under the restrictions no person may:

• Use waster for irriga-tion of vegetation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

• Allow water to run off yards or plants into gut-ters or streets.

• Permit or maintain

defective plumbing in a home, business establish-ment or location where water is used on the premises. Defective plum-ing includes out-of-repair water closets, under-ground leaks, defective or leaking faucets and taps.

• Allow water to flow constantly through a tap, hydrant, valve or other-wise by any user of water connected to the city sys-tem.

Any person, firm or corporation convicted of violating the ordinance shall be fined up to $200 per violation, each day in which one or more of

the provisions of the ordi-nance is violated.

The city opted to enter into Condition 2 after learning that the com-bined water storage in Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir had dropped below 40 percent.

At Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting, city officials met with engineers to discuss ways to provide water resources for Beeville residents in the event that the continuing drought causes the Coastal Bend’s water storage problems to become even more

serious.That could include

using some of the city’s abandoned wells.

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SPORTSGregory-Portland girls slip, trip in BeevillePage 12A

BEEVILLE — Police offi-cers have been busy recently trying to make arrests in a series of acts of vandalism and burglaries.

One suspect was taken into custody shortly after a break-in at the Saenz Quick-Serve Western Wear store at 307 W. Corpus Christi St.

Detective Lt. Richard Cantu said officers were on patrol just before 1 a.m. Thursday when they heard a burglar alarm and headed to the store.

As officers raced to the business, Cantu said he approached the area from the south in case the burglars were using a scanner and had found out that most of the offi-cers on duty were on the north end of the city.

As Cantu approached the business on U.S. Highway 59, he noticed a vehicle going east with one headlight out, mov-ing slowly.

The detective watched the vehicle stop in the parking lot at Prosperity Bank before driving through downtown.

The detective said he caught up with the suspects near a photography business and saw someone coming out of an alley carrying some objects.

As he approached the man, Cantu noticed he dropped the objects and ran.

Officers caught up with the man a short distance from that scene but another sus-pect in a vehicle managed to evade them.

Police did arrest a 22-year-old Mathis man identified as Leroy Chavarria.

He was booked into the Bee County Jail on burglary of a building and evading arrest charges.

Cantu said Chavarria had a history of burglary arrests.

Officers who went back to the arrest scene found a num-ber of boots dumped at the spot where the suspect had

Vol. 126 — No. 66 Beeville, Texas Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 Two Sections, 28 Pages 75¢

Taking back their school

Fields of streams

Cities relying on luck, not water conservation

How the drought is changing the state

The drought is changing the look of Texas. On left, is an aerial shot of Texas taken prior to the drought. On right, a more recent photograph. Notice the disappearing green foliage.

Gary Kent photo

Mitchell Smith Jr. uses the bucket of a backhoe to remove water from a hole on Farm-to-Market Road 351 so an experienced city util-ity crew can repair a leak on the 24-inch pipeline that carries water from the water treatment plant at Swinney Switch. The crew has repaired about 50 leaks of varying size along the 18-mile route in the last six months.


BEEVILLE — It is a wet and muddy job, repairing the leaks in the 18-mile, 24-inch water line running between the George P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch and Beeville’s water storage tanks.

Fortunately, after six months of working on the leaks, Beeville’s Utility System Director Cesario Vela said he has a crack team of leak repairmen on the job.

Today, the five-man crew can repair up to three leaky pipe joints in a day, digging their way to the leak, clean-ing around the joint, fitting rubber gaskets to the joints, attaching heavy steel clamps to the gaskets and bolting them tightly into place.

There is no need to shut off the flow of water to the city or to remove a length of the heavy, concrete pipe.

“These guys are good,” Vela said as he parked his

City crews repair aging water lines

Gary Kent photo

Working in standing water, a city utility crew puts rubber gaskets in place on either side of a connection in the 24-inch pipeline that carries water to Beeville from the treatment plant at Swinney Switch. This is one of many repairs being made to help reduce waste and conserve the limited amount available.


BEEVILLE — When van-dals broke into Moreno Middle School, they ransacked numer-ous classrooms and stole both personal and school district

equipment.

The students, though, have banded together in the after-math and are taking back what is theirs.

On Saturday, these youths

will gather in the Bealls park-ing lot for a bake sale to raise money to replace what was lost.

Two girls, Ariana Hinojosa

Surveillance photos released. Page 2A


CORPUS CHRISTI — Texas has an unimaginable water cri-sis.

That declaration came from Mike Bewley, the supervisor of the division of emergen-cy management, part of the Department of Public Safety.

Bewley – who appears as a dynamic mixture of Tony Savalas and a high school football coach – was part of 14 speakers at the annual South Texas Drought and Fire Weather Symposium hosted by the National Weather Service office here. It was conduct-ed Wednesday on the West

Campus of Del Mar College.

Bewley was the 10th speaker, and by then, in mid-afternoon, the audience of law enforce-ment officers, firemen, emer-gency management people had thinned.

Those who left missed the

(See City, 10A)

See Drought, 6A)

(See Moreno, 3A)

Police arrive

‘Justin’ time

(See Police, 10A)

Officer sees man carrying stolen boots

Dr. Gordon Wells, UT Space Research center, photos

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A Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012 Beeville Bee-Picayune

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high point of the sym-posium. In 35 seconds, Bewley showed two satel-lite images of Texas, cap-tured a year apart. The first, taken Aug. 29, 2010, showed a state Irish green with lush vegetation.

In the second image, exactly a year later, most of the state is a study in tan and beige, the only green in far east Texas.

The effect on the audi-ence was immediate.

“Geez,” someone said.“Five million trees in

Texas died last year,” Bewley said.

At an earlier session, State Climatologist Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon of Texas A&M University-College Station, pegged the official start of the cur-rent drought as two days before the first satellite image was taken.

“Aug. 27, 2010, was the date of the last wet system that passed through the state,” he said.

By 2011, a drought mon-itor map showed most of Texas shaded in orange, red and burnt umber. “We really needed a couple of extra colors,” he said.

Nie l sen -Gammon ’ s presentation, highly sci-entific, dealt mostly with the causes of the drought, including ocean tempera-tures in the Pacific and climate change.

But Bewley focused on the effects — and he out-lined them in graphic lan-guage.

“The drought has changed the status of my job,” he said. “Now, I’m a consequence manager.”

Such as wildfires.“Wildfires were up 100

percent between 2009 and 2010,” he said. “In the Bastrop fire, near Austin, in two days, 1,850 homes were burned. That was after only three months of drought. That didn’t challenge our emergency management – it crushed

it. This drought is off the charts, unprecedented, unpredictable.”

The current reser-voir levels statewide — Beeville’s source of water is Lake Corpus Christi, which is at 15 percent of capacity — is threatening

the state’s electrical grid. Forty to 45 percent of the state’s surface water is used by electrical power plants.

Plants that someday would be expected to power desalinization facilities.

Hopes for rain from a tropical disturbance, a cold front or a stalled from — “it doesn’t have to be a hurricane” — did not occur last year.

Every Monday at 1 p.m., Nielsen-Gammon conducts a conference call with emergency manag-ers statewide to give an update on the drought and its effect on the state’s water supply.

“The word of the day,” Bewley said, “is always three same: degrading, degrading, degrading. The state is dry. Not moder-ately dry,” he warned, “but historically dry, as dry as the 1950s drought-of-record dry.”

An example, Bewley said, is the expected snow-melt in northeastern New Mexico, which feeds water

into the Rio Grande.“All the watersheds are

below normal – 26 to 40 percent below normal. Some are zero — zero per-cent of normal.”

One of the frustrations he faces is convincing city, county and regional gov-

ernments to admit there is a crisis.

“In 2007, San Angelo had only eight weeks of water left. Yet, there is no evidence the city ever formulated a water plan. They never instituted water restrictions. Their water was going to run out in eight weeks, but you still could water your lawns.”

But it cost the city around $1.5 million a day to haul 100 trucks of bottled water during the shortage, and that was every day until it rained.

His office has yet to find any Texas municipality that has made any plans on what to do if it should run out of water.

The drought, he said, is forcing a paradigm shift. “It is challenging our water laws, which originated in Europe, where they don’t have droughts,” he says. “Eventually, some emer-gency manager is going to be faced with figuring out who gets the remaining water — a power plant or a hospital.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Bewley says, “has no structure to understand water emergencies.”

The role of his own agency, he says, tradition-ally has been to react to an emergency, not to take any action until after an emergency has occurred. But the fear of communi-ties running out of water because of the continuing drought has forced it to re-focus on prevention.

Helping to cut the red tape is an Emergency Drinking Water Task Force that meets weekly to monitor water supplies. Still, he says, the work-ing criteria is 180 days — the time it takes the state bureaucracies to react.

Bewley’s concerns, mir-rored by Nielsen-Gammon, is that there is little indi-cation of excessive rainfall on the horizon.

“This drought easily could continue for another year,” Nielsen-Gammon says, “maybe more.”

Admitting his science might be flawed, Bewley says he is haunted by the similarity between the current drought and the 1950s.

“The 1950s sequence was La Niña, La Niña, a neutral year, another neutral year, followed by another La Niña. So, today, we’ve had a La Niña year followed by two neutral years and now we have another La Niña. It’s starting too look just like the drought of the 1950s.

“There is about only a year’s worth of water stored in the Rio Grande. Choke Canyon, Lake Corpus Christi all have low levels. I’m concerned.”

Adequate water sup-plies still exists, Bewley says, but utilizing it will

require Texans to re-eval-uate their attitude about water.

“The average American uses 200 gallons of water a day,” he says. “That fig-ure is 130 gallons in El Paso, which has a vigorous conservation program. In Australia, it’s 80 gallons a day; for people in Seville, Spain, the average is 35 gallons.”

While applauding Bewley’s attempt to raise awareness and to formu-late comprehensive water plans, meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Corpus Christi say Bewley’s science is off the mark.

Still, Nielsen-Gammon had said earlier, while some trends indicate South Texas is experi-encing a climate change, the wise approach is to remember “the weather has a mind of its own.”

Drought could continue another year(Continued 1A)

Police arrest suspects in weekend drug raidsBEEVILLE — A

Saturday night sting on a local restaurant ended with the arrest of two per-sons on drug charges.

Detective Lt. Richard Cantu of the Beeville Police Department said 29-year-old Eloy Salazar and 30-year-old Jadira Maldonado were booked on several different charges including second and third degree felonies.

The sting turned up hydrocodone, Xanax, Tramadol and Balofen tablets, all prescription drugs.

The detective said BPD

narcotics investigators led a purchase of some drugs at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8.

The charges included the manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance, less than 28 grams in a drug-free zone, a third degree fel-ony, possession of a con-trolled substance, four to 200 grams, a second degree felony, two counts possession of a controlled substance, less than 28 grams in the drug-free zone, a state jail felony, and two counts of posses-sion of dangerous drugs, a Class A misdemeanor.

A conviction on the sec-ond degree felony charge could result in a 20-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine.

A third degree felony conviction could result in a 10-year prison sentence and the same fine.

The state jail felony could send the two sus-pects to a state jail facility for two years and result in a $10,000 fine.

Police are withholding the names of three men and one woman charged with possession of less

than two ounces of mari-juana.

The offense is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a $4,000 fine and up to a year in the Bee County Jail.

Cantu said those arrests were a result of a raid on a residence in a trailer park in the 800 block of South Tyler Street.

The raid came after a long-term investigation into drug activity in that trailer park.

Cantu said police have been looking at drug activity there for some time and they intend to

stop the problem.

“The main interest was to clean up the neighbor-hood,” the investigator said.

The offenses leading to the charges against the four suspects were enhanced because they had the drugs within 1,000 feet of a playground. That made the neighbor-hood a drug-free zone.

“We feel we’re making progress in cleaning up that area,” Cantu said.


Prescription drugs confiscated by police after making arrests Saturday evening. Two suspects were arrested on multiple charges.Contributed photo

‘That didn’t challenge our emergen-cy management – it crushed it. This drought is off the charts, unprecedent-ed, unpredictable.’

— Mike Bewley, DPS supervisor

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PETER STEINER

pickup across the street from a work site on FM 351 just south of the Bee County Exposition Center earlier this week.

The team has repaired 17 such leaks west of U.S. Highway 59 in just two weeks, Vela said with a serious grin.

Always, the workmen have to stand, wearing rubber boots, in water a little higher than their ankles. Sometimes they have to work under a cas-cade of water shooting into the air from the leak and falling back into the ditch they dug earlier.

This time of year, work-ing under such conditions on a cold morning can be taxing. But the dedicated crew keeps plugging on, digging, sliding in the mud, working rapidly in an effort to save the city money and to preserve precious water as the Coastal Bend experiences the end of a second year of substantial drought.

The casual observer may find a bed of cattails in some places and even a little standing water along the route where the water line between Swinney Switch and Beeville runs.

But those should be gone soon, according to Vela.

Since he took the job in June, the repair team has stopped close to 50 major and minor water leaks along that 18-mile stretch of concrete pipe.

Vela said the leaks are always found in the con-nections where one joint of concrete pipe meets another.

The pipe lengths were sealed with rubber gas-kets when they were laid in the ground 30 years ago. The problem was that the entire pipeline was to have been surrounded by an envelope of sand. That would have allowed the top soil to contract and expand without affecting the pipeline connections.

Vela said that was done only in certain locations for appearances. In real-ity, much of the pipe was recovered with the caliche and topsoil that had been taken from the ground when the ditch was dug.

The result was a shift-ing of the ground around the pipeline and leaks.

Vela also blamed what he called a “water ham-mer” or “hydraulic shock” for the leaks.

He explained the phe-nomenon as a pressure surge or wave caused when a liquid or some-times a gas is in motion and it suddenly is forced to stop or change direc-tion.

The hammer commonly occurs when a valve or pump is suddenly closed at the end of a pipeline system or at a place where the pipeline may change direction.

The shock can cause a pipe to collapse or a rubber gasket between lengths of pipe to blow out of place.

Vela said one of the problems the repair team has encountered since beginning the project has been new leaks. When a repair is made, the increased pressure often causes another leak in a weak spot in the line that had not previously leaked.

Also, previous repair teams had been sealing off the pressure relief valves that had been installed along the line to keep the pipe connections from blowing gaskets.

“We’ve repaired 15 relief valves already,” Vela said. “We have a few more to go.”

“Those relief valves were put in there for a purpose,” he said. “They should never have been sealed.”

Vela said that a drive along the pipeline route will show that the leaks were not always in the same place as the stand-ing water and cattails.

“Water runs down-hill,” he said. You can see where a leak was repaired because the ground there has been disturbed. But follow the drop in eleva-tion from the dirt pile to the lowest spot nearby and one finds the swampy area where the water pooled.

Vela said two of the repairs required the repair crew to remove the concrete couplings from the pipeline, at a cost of $3,800. Those couplings were replaced with Smith Blair Full Circle Repair Clamps.

That meant the flow of water to the city had to be shut down for no more than six hours, which is the maximum time that the flow of water from the plant can be stopped.

Vela, with the help of longtime utility depart-ment employee Humberto Saenz, has been able to reduce the cost of the repairs significantly. The repair clamps for the

leaky joints had been costing the city $1,500 each. However, the city is now having the steel repair clamps fabricated by Todd Welding at a cost of only $750 per clamp.

“As we repair major leaks, other weak points within the 24-inch line are popping up at a slow-er rate,” Vela said. Now, those smaller leaks are being repaired as they occur.

The repairs should go a long way toward sav-ing the water from Lake Corpus Christi and the Choke Canyon Reservoir as a lingering drought continues to plague most of Texas.

Six months ago, engi-neer Jim Urban of Urban Engineering in Corpus Christi told Beeville Water Supply District directors that up to 250,000 gallons of treated water a day were bub-bling up from the pipeline to Beeville.

“We’ve bought that and

we’ve treated that,” Board Chairman Jim Crumrine said then. He estimated the cost to BWSD cus-tomers was about $700 a day and up to $20,000 a month.

One of the tasks assigned to Vela when he took the job here in the summer was to address the problem and he is proud to say he has done that.

But Vela gives much of that credit to the five men who have dedicated their days to making the repairs.

Although they have become more efficient and have gone a long way toward repairing every one of the leaks in the pipeline, they still work every day in water and mud, putting up with scorching heat and numb-ing cold to save water and money for Beeville resi-dents.


Water gushes from the right side of one of the joints in the 24-inch treated water line coming from the George P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch. A crew has repaired more than 50 such leaks in recent months, becoming quite proficient at the task.

Working in standing water, a utility crew puts rubber gaskets in place on either side of a con-nection in the 24-inch pipeline that carries water to Beeville from the treatment plant. The gaskets are carefully cut to size and stapled together before steel compression rings are bolted onto the pipe to hold them in place.

Workers put locally made steel collars in place on the pipe. The city has cut the cost of the compression collars in half by having a local welding shop make them.

Gary Kent photos

The final step in repairing the leak is to bolt the steel compression rings into place, forcing the rubber gasket into the leak where two lengths of pipe meet. Repairs are made without having to stop the flow of water to the city.

City discovers sealed pressure valves part of the problem

RePAiRinG A leAK — 101

(Continued from 1A)

Gary Kent photo

This shows the rubber gaskets and compression collars before they are installed on a leak on the 24-inch concrete pipeline that brings water to Beeville from Swinney Switch.

been seen leaving the alley. They later found more boots near the store for a total of six pairs of boots.

If convicted of the burglary charge, Chavarria could face a 10-year prison sentence and pay a $10,000 fine. The penalty for the evading arrest charge could amount to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Police are also looking for a tan-colored sedan seen near the K-Bobs Restaurant early Thursday.

The manager of the business and an employee entered the building to work that morning and realized the burglar alarm was on in the back of the build-ing.

The two found that someone had entered the building and had taken a safe containing $4,000 in cash from the

office.

An investigation by officers revealed that a side window had been broken and they believe at least two suspects entered the building at that spot.

They believe that the alarm was not tripped until the thieves left the build-ing through a rear door.

Cantu said the suspected light tan vehicle was photographed by a security camera at a nearby business. Officers believe the vehicle was a Buick sedan.

Anyone who might know who was responsible for that burglary may qual-ify for a cash reward by contacting Coastal Bend Crime Stoppers at 362-0206 or by calling toll-free to (877) 362-0206.


Police search for tan colored van suspected as vehicle used in burglary(Continued from 1A)

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361-358-2550.


BEEVILLE — Anybody looking for anything that the politicians

are calling an assault rifle are out of luck in most of the country this week.

“We’ve sold every-thing that even resem-

bles an AR-15,” Tammy Casciato said Wednesday

night. “They’re becoming like unicorns.”

She and her hus-band, Jeff Massengill,

were waiting on a full shop of customers at their

Americana Arms business on Cagle Lane.

But Casciato was not calling the guns she and Massengill had sold

“assault rifles.”

“We only sell semi-automat-ic rifles, not fully automatic ones,” she said.

The usual defini-tion of an assault rifle is one that can either shoot semi-auto or full auto. Gun owners who wish to buy a fully automat-ic rifle must purchase a special stamp from the federal govern-ment to legally possess the gun.

“We’re sold out of AR-15s,” said Monica Moreno, manager of Bee County Pawn on North St. Mary’s Street.

She said the store sold its last AR-15s Wednesday.

“We had Bushmasters, Windhams, DPMS and Smith and Wesson,” Moreno said. But custom-ers have purchased every last one of the rifles.

“We’re sold out,” Moreno said

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•What treasures sit inside tuleta Park Hotel?


BEEVILLE — Police officers have made a second arrest in an investigation into a bur-glary and vandalism incident at Moreno Middle School that occurred on Dec. 11.

Chief Joe Treviño of the Beeville Police Department said offi-cers served an arrest warrant at 7:50 p.m. Wednesday, tak-ing 17-year-old Eric Hernandez into cus-tody.

The chief said Hernandez was being charged with burglary of a build-ing, a state jail felony, and criminal mischief

Shelves empty of ar-15s


Man, 73, stabbed to death

2 down, 2 to go

Moreno School VandalISM arreStS

City’s water pumps downBy Gary KentBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — The City of Beeville is asking all residents to stop watering their yards with city water for the next seven days.

City Manager Deborah Ballí was in her office Thursday morning with civil engineer Jim Urban and Water Superintendent Cesario Vela discussing the replacement of two pumps at the city’s raw water intake structure.

Urban said two of the new pumps at the intake structure at the Nueces River had failed and the remaining pump would not be able to keep up with demand.

Residents told not to water

Gary Kent photo

Texas Ranger James Bennett, in hat, looks for evidence outside Apartment C in Building 7 at the Emma Finke Villa apart-ments on East Kennedy Street Wednesday morning. Standing with the ranger are, from left, Beeville Police Department detectives Chris Vasquez, Art Gamez and Matthew Miller. Police were called to the scene after a staff member checking on residents found a man, 73 years old, dead of stab wounds.

Hernandez

(See Unforeseen, 6A)

(See Crime, 6A)


BEEVILLE — Police Chief Joe Treviño is urging anyone who might have information that could lead to a suspect in the Wednesday morning mur-der of a Beeville man to con-tact the Coastal Bend Crime Stoppers organization.

Any witness who provides enough information to result in an arrest could qualify for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

The victim has been identi-fied as 73-year-old Thurman Brown of Beeville.

Texas Ranger James Bennett and Detective Sgt. Art Gamez were in charge

of the investigation at the scene. Officers believe some-one entered the victim’s apart-ment at the Emma Finke Villa Apartments and stabbed the victim to death.

A staff member at the Beeville Housing Authority facility reportedly was check-ing on the elderly residents

Police have no suspects in brutal home attack

Coastal Bend

Crime StoppersBee, Goliad, Live Oak Counties

(See Police, 2A)

Police aim to be scrooge for criminals


BEEVILLE — ’Tis the sea-son all right, and that means police plan to be out in force for the next few months try-ing to catch vandals, arson-ists, burglars and thieves.

Police Chief Joe Treviño

said criminals need to beware because officers will arrive this winter in some unsus-pected places and riding strange vehicles.

“It’s all part of our holiday safety plan,” Treviño said.

He urged all residents to (See Officers, 2A)

(See AR-15s, 6A)

Talk of ban spurs rifle, ammo sales

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when asked about their high capacity magazines for AR-15s and AK-47s.

“Ammunition is sold out too. Even the AKs,” Moreno said.

Massengill had the same message concerning high capacity (30) round maga-zines for AR rifles. And early Wednesday evening the business sold all but two boxes of Americana’s .223-caliber and 5.56mm ammunition.

“We’ve been blessed,” Casciato said of the busi-ness she and Massengill own. Their shop has remained busy since they opened it a couple of months ago.

But since the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., and President Barack Obama admin-istration’s stated inten-tion to ban the sale of so-called “assault rifles,” the demand for semi-auto ARs and AKs has been unbe-lievable.

Massengill said it is now

impossible to restock. All of their suppliers have said they cannot fill their orders.

Moreno said Bee County Pawn is having the same problem.

Local gun dealer Ernest Hurst said part of the prob-lem is “Sandy, the storm, not the school.”

Hurst said the hurricane that struck the northern East Coast of the United States recently shut down many of the nation’s fire-arms manufacturers.

Although most of the companies had restarted production, they were still trying to catch up with orders when the school shooting happened last week. That caused an unexpected spike in the demand for semi-automat-ic rifles.

Moreno said her store had one Ruger Mini 14 left. Americana Arms had two AR-15s in stock Wednesday night. But a local man purchased a Bushmaster AR-15 that

night, leaving only one rifle left in the store.

The shop did have a couple of AK-type rifles in 5.56mm and 7.62x39mm. But those were not expect-ed to remain on the shelf for long.

One local man, upon hearing that there was still an AR left in Beeville, picked up his cellular phone Thursday and said he intended to buy that rifle for himself if it was still on the shelf.

“This has been uncom-fortable,” Casciato said of the increased demand. “Just the volume. Everybody has left with information on a gun or ammunition.”

Casciato and Moreno said pistol sales remain steady. There has been no rush on them. And resup-plying their stocks does not seem to be a problem yet.

Other pawn shops in Beeville have not expe-rienced the rush to buy semi-automatic rifles.

“We don’t take assault-

type rifles,” said Robert Alvarado of EZ Pawn on East Houston Street.

There are no ARs, AKs or Mini 14s in their store. “We don’t even sell pistols and we don’t sell ammuni-tion,” the manager said.

Patsy Gomez of Cash Pawn on West Corpus Christi Street said the same thing.

Although her shop does have the so-called assault-type rifles, “we don’t have any out for sale.”

“People don’t want the government to interfere with their ability to defend themselves,” Massengill said. Beeville area resi-dents simply want to be able to buy the pistol or rifle they want, within the law as it is written now.

“Gun owners are sup-posed to be responsible for their guns,” Massengill said. That is not something they think the govern-ment should be dictating to them.

“If that principal (at the

Sandy Hook Elementary School) had walked up to the shooter with a gun in her hand instead of harsh words, 20 kids would still be alive,” Massengill said.

The shop owner works as a full-time teacher.

“I respect people’s right to have an opinion,” Massengill said. “That’s in the First Amendment”

“Everybody is blaming everything but the shoot-er,” one of Massengill’s customers said.

Casciato mentioned that 115 applicants for con-cealed handgun licenses had gone through their school in just the past few months.

Hurst said no law that the government can pass will stop killings like the one on Connecticut. “Society and the govern-ment should be responsi-ble for the killing.”

“When you advertise that there are no guns at a location, that’s inviting crazy killers to show up,”

Hurst said.“We have to change

what kids and some adults see in the movies,” Hurst said. Movies and video games should bear much of the blame for much of the violent behavior.

“Kids are making those games part of their lives,” Hurst said. He said every licensed firearms dealer in the country is responsible. They conduct background checks on their customers before selling them weap-ons. And if a customer dis-plays questionable behav-ior when they are checked, the dealer notes that on the request.

The Sandy Hook killer’s mother also bears much of the responsibility for the tragedy at that school, Hurst said. She knew her son was unstable but she failed to secure her guns.

“Society has failed itself,” Hurst said.


more than $20,000.

The criminal mischief charge is a third degree felony. If convicted, the defen-dant faces a possible 1 0 - y e a r prison sen-tence and a $10,000 fine.

The other charge is punishable by a two-year stay in a state jail facility and a $10,000 fine.

Treviño said Justice of the Peace Abel Suniga issued the arrest warrant.

Police were assisted by deputies with the U.S. Marshal’s Office in arrest-ing the first of at least four possible suspects Monday.

The chief said that arrest was made possible by a Crime Stoppers tip.

The suspect, 19-year-old Jonathan Cadena, was being held this week on a parole violation and felon in possession of a firearm charges immediately after his arrest.

He was later charged with burglary of a build-ing and criminal mischief, more than $20,000.

According to Detective Sgt. Art Gamez, security cameras at Moreno pho-tographed four burglars going through the build-ing during the early morn-ing hours on Dec. 11.

The burglars broke out a window in a classroom and made their way out into the main building where they broke into several classrooms in the

300 and 400 wings of the school.

The burglars also entered offices and the cafeteria in the school, causing damages to com-puters, office equipment, doors and windows that would run into the thou-sands of dollars, Beeville Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Sue Thomas said.

Hernandez was still in custody Thursday after-noon, pending bonds total-ing $30,000.

According to staff at the Bee County Jail, Hernandez’s bond on the burglary charge was $10,000 and the crimi-nal mischief bond was $20,000.


Page 6A Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012 Beeville Bee-Picayune

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December Flooring Sale

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Letters to santa from ms. KaLLas’ first Grade CLass at HaLL eLementary

The following letters were inadvertently omitted from those published Wednesday, Dec. 19.

Children must not fret. Santa will still have time to read them before Christmas.

Dear Santa,I want a motorcycle and a

playstation for Christmas . These toys are awesome. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, Robert Dear Santa,I want an Ipod and a toy doll.

These toys are fun and great. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good girl.

Your friend, JonicaDear Santa,I want a piranha and some

legos for Christmas. These things are fun. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, PedroDear Santa,I want a motorcycle and an

ipad mini for Christmas. These toys are very cool. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good girl!

Your friend, LeeleDear Santa,

I want a motorcycle and Halo 4 for Christmas. These toys are fun and great. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, JacobDear Santa,I want Halo4 and Transformers

for Christmas. These toys are cool. Thank you Santa. I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, DominicDear Santa,I want Lego Friends and a

fish Aquarium for Christmas. These things are cool. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good girl.

Your friend, HeidiDear Santa,I want a Silver the Hedgehog

and toy Knuckles too. These toys are cool and fun. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, NoahDear Santa,I want a pretend laser and

to be ruler of the world for Christmas. These things are cool. Thank you Santa. I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, CodyDear Santa,

I want a fish and a toy Wolverine For Christmas. These things are fun and cool. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, EzekielDear Santa,I want a computer and an

ipad for Christmas. These things are awesome and great. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good girl.

Your friend, FantasyDear Santa,I want an Ipad and a dog for

Christmas. These things are fun and good. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good girl.

Your friend, KyrstinDear Santa,Thank you Santa for bring-

ing my dad back for Christmas! I want Lego friends and a cop toy. These toys are cool. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, MarioDear Santa,I want an iphone and a new

pair of boots. These will be cool and fun. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good girl.

Your friend, Larissa

Dear Santa,I want a shark and a Wolverine

toy for Christmas. These toys will be cool and fun. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, DavidDear Santa,I want A toy dinosaur and

Lego Star Wars for Christmas. These toy will be cool. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, DiegoDear Santa,I want a Woody toy for toy

story and play dough. These toys will be cool. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, EthanDear Santa,I want a motorcycle and a

fish for Christmas. These will be fun to have. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good boy.

Your friend, Alberto

Dear Santa,I want a turtle and a pair of

boots for Christmas. These things are great. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good girl.

Your friend, ElexiaDear Santa,I want Lego Friends and a

reindeer. These things are fan-tastic. Thank you Santa! I know I have been a good girl.

Your friend, Alana

“Due to an unforeseen malfunction at the water treatment plant, effective immediately and for the next seven days, all outside use of water is restrict-ed,” Ballí said in a special Blackboard Connect message.

The request is being automatically sent to all residents in the form of a recorded phone message.

“Beeville city staff and engineers, long with the Beeville Water Supply District, are working diligently to cor-rect the malfunction and minimize the inconvenience to residents and commer-cial businesses,” the message said. “As a result of the process involved in cor-recting the malfunction, a reduction in the water pressure may be experienced. The city will advise immediately when the restriction is lifted.”

Urban said his company was expect-ed to bring in a temporary pump and to have the two faulty pumps repaired as quickly as possible. He said the two

pumps were both new equipment and, as yet, no one knows why they failed.

The engineer said the city has water in reserve in storage tanks at the BWSD’s George P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch and in the city.

Urban said water pressure was going to be intentionally reduced to allow businesses and residences to continue using it without running the storage tanks dry.

Vela said his pipeline repair crew would be stopping the last three major leaks in the 18-mile line between the treatment plant and city.

However, the crew would still have some smaller leaks to repair. Each time a major leak in the line is sealed up, smaller leaks appear because of the increased pressure in the line.


Unforeseen malfunction takes out two of three water pumps(Continued from 1A)

(Continued from 1A)

(Continued from 1A)

Crime Stoppers credited with arrest

AR-15s, Mini 14s hard to come by in city

Cadena

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361-358-2550.

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•woodsboro students celebrate the season.

A Christ-

mas dinner

tradi-tion.

Page 3A

INSIDE

Vol. 126 — No. 69 Beeville, Texas Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 Two Sections, 20 Pages 75¢

Knock, knock, knock.“Merry Christmas,” a

deep booming voice echoed down the apartment hall.

The door cracked slowly then opened wide. A surprise visitor stood outside the home of Moses and Tabitha Rendon on Saturday.

The couple and their five boys weren’t on Santa’s needy list this year.

But with a heart the size of Christmas, Santa could turn no one away.

So, when he and the volunteer firefight-ers helping him deliver toys that morning saw several of the boys outside of Normandy Apartments and learned that Christmas was being delayed for them this year, they wanted to help.

“I actually just got up because I heard the

Free flowCity lifts water restrictions

Christmas comes to all

Less fortunate receive food, gifts

thanks to volunteers

Gary Kent photo

Alexis Gonzales clutches the one item she wanted most for Christmas this year. The little stuffed kitten was the first thing she grabbed from a shelf in the toy department of the Walmart Supercenter Monday afternoon. The 5-year-old Pawnee Independent School District student was one of six kids who had a chance to spend $100 as part of a Shop with the Sheriff spree. The event was hosted by the Bee County Sheriff’s Office and its Explorer Post. Those pictured with Alexis are Explorer Post member Cheyenne Childress, Deputy Lt. Steve Linam and Alexis’ grandmother, Gloria Gonzales. See the story on Page 3A.

Keely Lockhart was almost too excited for words Saturday as she had waited up half the night for Santa to arrive. She was among the 207 children to receive toys, thanks to the Aztec Chevrolet toy giveaway this year. Businesses, volunteers and churches donated time and money to make the giveaway to needy children possible.

A purrfect christmAs

Head count higherBy Bill CloughBee-Picayune staff

BEEVILLE — For Coastal Bend College President Dr. Beatrice Espinoza, it must have seemed that Christmas had come early.

At the last meeting of the CBC board of trustees, Dec. 13 — the last meeting of the year — Espinoza was able to tell the board that enrollment was up over the same period last year.

By almost 500 students.Lower than expected enrollment the previous

semester — attributed to Eagle Ford Shale labor demands — caused stringent budget cutbacks across the board.

To counter the trend, Espinosa formed a Strategic Enrollment Management task forced, referred to

cBc enrollMent


BEEVILLE — The City of Beeville issued a notice on Blackboard Connect message over the weekend lifting its recent water restrictions.

The city notified residents late last week that two of the three pumps at the Beeville Water Supply District’s raw water intake structure had failed.

Civil Engineer Jim Urban of Urban Engineering said the remaining pump would not be able to meet the need and that the city would have to depend on water in its storage tanks to provide important water supplies.

Hector Salinas, superintendent at the BWSD’s George P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch, said Friday evening that a shaft on

Bill clough photo

Winter officially arrived this past Friday, and the welcoming sunrise, shown here in this photo taken in the Bee County area, was full of color. This week, residents were also greeted with colder temperatures. Tonight, Wednesday, the temperatures are expected to dip below freezing, but the rest of the week should be milder. Residents can also remain hopeful as the National Weather Service is giving this area a 20 percent chance of showers on Friday.

stAirWAy to heAven

(See Volunteers, 6A)

(See College, 6A)

(See Water pump, 6A)

VIDEOonlineat:

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one of the pumps had sheared. He said repairmen were trying to figure out what had caused the problem.

Both of the failed pumps were less than a year old, Salinas said. He said the investigation into the pump failures would provide the information needed to determine if the pump malfunctions would be covered by the warranties.

Urban had reported that his com-pany had sent for a backup pump that could be installed.

Although the city has been in a drought conservation mode for

months, asking water customers to refrain from irrigating yards between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., last week’s emergency forced the city to urge all residents to quit using water outside.

Lawn watering may resume as long as residents continue to refrain from irrigating lawns and gardens between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The City of Corpus Christi has implemented Condition 2 drought restrictions for the first time since the current drought began about two years ago.


Page 6A Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 Beeville Bee-Picayune

I,I, Marivel Marivel DeLeon, DeLeon, would would like like to to Thank Thank the the following following for for donating donating food, food, drinks, drinks, gifts gifts and and volunteeringvolunteering their their time time to to help help provide provide a a Christmas Christmas Dinner Dinner to to the the families families staying staying at at the the RonaldRonald McDonald McDonald House House Charities Charities in in Corpus Corpus Christi. Christi. This This has has been been a a charity charity that that I I enjoy enjoy volunteeringvolunteering for for and and I I am am very very fortunate fortunate to to have have friends friends and and family family who who support support me. me. Your Your generousgenerous donations donations helped helped put put smiles smiles on on each each family’s family’s face face and and we we hope hope to to see see you you again again nextnext year. year. Thank Thank you!!!! you!!!!

SowellsSowells BBQ-TR BBQ-TRRickRick Sowell Sowell Ramon RamonAvaAva and and Olivia Olivia DeLeon DeLeonJuneJune Ureste UresteDeliaDelia Soto SotoNinaNina Galvan GalvanChristinaChristina Rowland RowlandKarlKarl and and Rita Rita Arnst ArnstMaryMary Duenes Duenes RachelRachel Villarreal Villarreal

JillJill Colvin ColvinHinesHines Co. Co. - - George George West WestMickeyMickey Mendez MendezChristinaChristina Garcia Garcia TyraTyra Payne Payne KimKim Foster FosterLeslieLeslie Zbranek ZbranekTravisTravis Posey PoseyConnieConnie Flores FloresBeckyBecky Polasek Polasek

TrishaTrisha Salas SalasValerieValerie Vasquez Vasquez , ,NicoleNicole Villegas, Villegas,JojoJojo Gonzales Gonzales , ,AnnaAnna Childs, Childs,KellyKelly Mix-Worley Mix-Worley , ,MaryMary Perez Perez MingoMingo and and Janie Janie DeLeon DeLeonWalgreensWalgreens - - Beeville BeevilleEsperanzaEsperanza Rodriquez Rodriquez

baby and people downstairs,” Tabitha said.

As the couple stood in their living room, it was hard to tell that Christmas was only a few days away.

There was no Christmas tree from which to hang tinsel.

No stockings could be seen, and no ornaments decorated the home.

“We were not going to do too much this year,” Tabitha said. “We got into a little financial trouble.”

“We were going to have Christmas in January,” Moses added.

Tabitha’s face brightened as she spoke. Moses smiled — his face still showed a bit of bewilderment at what had just occurred.

Someone, a benefactor unknown to either, had given them Christmas. And it came without them even asking.

“We really don’t know where all this came from,” she said.

Those gifts, and the baskets of food, came from money donated by numer-ous businesses throughout the county including H-E-B, Aztec Chevrolet, Pete Patel and Pride Automotive.

In all, 207 children would receive pres-ents from Santa, thanks to the numer-ous volunteers including businessmen, law enforcement officers and veterans who converged Saturday morning at Aztec Chevrolet. Sixty families received baskets of food, and four elderly people received care baskets.

Earlier that morning, these volunteer firefighters escorted Santa to another apartment. This time, the residents knew he was coming.

And these children could barely con-tain their excitement.

Santa’s steps were silent as he made his way up the winding staircase to apartment No. 4.

“Ho, ho, ho,” he called from outside the sliding glass door.

As the door cracked, a small child’s innocent voice echoed through the hearts of those outside.

“I love you, Santa,” Keely Lockhart said.

She and her siblings had spent the night in the living room waiting for Santa.

Her mother, Janie Campos, fought back tears as she looked around the room.

In the corner — a tree. It held only a handful of presents. There was one for each child. No more.

“It was a real big help,” she said. “I have had this window broken and then this window broken, and together it was right at $500.

“So we were not going to have any Christmas other than what is under the tree.”

Her children, most notably Keely, forgive the cliche, who was as excited as a child on Christmas morning, were pleased with the surprise Saturday.

As Keely stood in the living room, she plucked a candy cane from the tree.

“Merry Christmas,” she said as she returned the favor and tried to spread a bit of cheer herself to one of those who came with Santa that morning.


(Continued from 1A)

(Continued from 1A)

Volunteers spread holiday cheer with bags of food, toys

internally as SEM. Heading the 22-member task force is CBC’s direc-tor of public relations and marketing, Susan Smedley.

“I chose people from across the spectrum,” she says. “Pretty much every major area in the college is represented. We went into triage mode.

“Usually, higher learn-ing institutes take 12 to 18 months to develop an enrollment plan,” Smedley says. “We are going to finalize and implement a five-year plan in a matter of months.”

Boil down the SEM’s organizational chart — which fills an 11-by-14-inch of paper — and the distilled product is customer service.

“If we provide better service,” Smedley says, “our enrollment will con-tinue to go up.”

The first steps the SEM recommended were two-fold: start this semester’s enrollment two months earlier and encourage the faculty to resume recruit-ing students.

“Almost everyone I have talked to,” Espinoza told the trustees, “says, ‘we used to do that.’”

When classes resume Jan. 14, Smedley fully expects the enrollment to keep climbing.

“What we are doing this semester is only the first phase of SEM.”

The task force is recom-mending that CBC place a dean of workforce devel-opment in the Pleasanton campus, to offer more oil-and-gas-related class-es there.

“We are look-ing at where the market demand is and how we should address that demand,” she says.

But workforce courses are more expensive to run than our academic courses, she says. “We can’t improve those without higher enrollment.”

Smedley gives high praise to Espinoza for SEM’s success.

“Keep in mind that CBC has had four chief execu-tive officers since 2006. We’ve never had someone come in here and identify people who are willing to work and then tell them to go out and do it.”

Smedley says the SEM needs to obtain a three-

semester cycle under its proverbial belt to see what has worked and what hasn’t.

“My catch phrase,” she says, “is that we have to stay in a sustained state of continuous assess-ment.”

The key is marketing, her bailiwick.

“How do we take what we already have and re-purpose it, re-design it, re-direct it and make it more accessible — but with no budget-ary effect?

“If we have to reshuffle what

our face looks like, then that’s what we will do. Because, at the end of the day, education is econom-ic development. It’s that simple. If persons are going to have the oppor-tunity to improve their lives, their standard of living, to provide a more secure life for their fami-lies, it’s incumbent on us to do everything we can to make that available to them. It’s an ethical obli-gation.”

Bill Clough is a reporter at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 122, or at [email protected].

College staff eyes new ways of continuing enrollment growth(Continued from 1A)

Water pump failure investigation continues

Espinoza

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Volunteers sort through the donations of food and other supplies Saturday at Aztec Chevrolet as they prepare to distribute these to area needy residents. All the items were inside reusable bags and totes.

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Obit: Davis, Jancha. Page 2A Inside: Chamber of Commerce tourism director resigns position. Page 3A

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INSIDE


BEEVILLE – It could be arguably the most precious commodity and one that so many just take for granted.

Water — it’s the one thing that is easily overlooked until the taps run dry.

For the past year, and even longer, the city has been battling to keep the taps turned on and the liquid flowing.

It is this push to improve the quality and quantity of it that makes it the Bee-Picayune’s Newsmaker of the Year.

R e c e n t l y , city councilmen agreed to make major improve-ments to its water supply.

First, the city council agreed to pour $10,000 more per month into improving the water infrastructure. Then they agreed not only to replace the filtering media but three of the pumps at the intake structure.

Just a couple of weeks ago, two of those pumps went down though. The cause remains unknown, but it was just another reminder of

By Christina RowlandBee-Picayune staff

EAGLE FORD — The Silver Oak cryogenic processing plant owned by TEAK Midstream is officially up and running.

The plant, located near Tuleta, has 200 million cubic feet per day of process-ing capabilities.

The product that the plant processes is a “co-mingled mixture of natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs),” accord-ing to Chris Aulds, co-chief executive officer of TEAK Midstream.

The product is being brought to the plant via two main lines. One is a 178-


It’s an open ques-tion what downtown Beeville might look like at Christmas,

save for a suggestion of a high school history teacher in Ohio in 1965.

Carolyn Bender, 63, was Carolyn Roberts then, a sophomore.

“My history teacher decided I needed something to do besides sit-ting in study hall,” she remembers.

“He wanted a vase for his man-telpiece, so he took me to the art room. They were working with clay.

When it was finished, he asked me if he could enter it into a national scholastic art contest. He even paid the 50-cent entry fee.”


BEEVILlE — Anyone who can give the Beeville Police Department enough information to arrest a suspect in a recent murder could be $5,000 richer.

The Coastal Bend Crime Stoppers organiza-tion is taking the rare step of upping the reward they normally offer to

encourage someone to come forward to identify the killer who stabbed an elderly man to death here last week.

The victim, 73-year-old Trueman Brown, was dis-covered in a pool of blood in his apartment early last Wednesday by some-

one checking on him that morning.

Police believe the vic-tim knew his killer because there were no

signs of forced entry. It appeared that the victim had turned his back on the killer when the attack took place.

Brown suffered mul-tiple stab wounds to the

$5K offered to solve murder

Creating downtown’s

FESTIVE FLOURISH

Carolyn Bender paints a snowman on the front windows of the public library shortly before Christmas. It was the first time she has decorated on glass.

First cryogenic plant completeThe TEAK Midstream Cryogenic plant is up and run-ning in Bee County. Pictured above is the plant demetha-nizer that is used to help remove the liquids from the gas.Christina Rowland photo

Keeping tabs on the taps

Water named newspaper’s

top newsmaker

Story & photo by Bill Clough

10 best filmsof 2012

See Page 7a

(See Crime, 6A)

(See Bender, 6A)(See Water, 6A)

(See TEAK, 15A)

HAVE A BLESSED New Year

Still no suspect in stabbing death

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Crime Stoppers puts time limit on increased rewardabdomen and back. Apparently, no one heard any disturbance in his apartment at the Emma Finke Villa at 1100 E. Kennedy St.

Brown lived in Apartment C in Building 7. Police Chief Joe Treviño said the victim had a small dog in the apart-ment, but, apparently, the dog did not bark dur-ing the attack.

Crime Stoppers offi-cials contacted the Bee-Picayune earlier this week to announce the increase in the reward. They said a time limit of 30 days will be placed on the higher offer.

So far, police have not mentioned a possible motive for the crime, but they do not believe the attack was random. Evidence suggests that Brown was specifically targeted.

Evidence at the scene

suggested that the killer entered the apartment with one purpose — to commit murder. Officers have said it appeared the killer acted quickly, com-mitted the murder and fled the scene.

Although witnesses had seen at least one visi-tor stop by Brown’s apart-ment Tuesday night, that visitor left, and there had been no sign of a distur-bance during the visit. Treviño confirmed that BPD detectives talked to the man to see if he had any information related to the attack.

Brown’s murder was only the second for the BPD in two years. One man, Brien Hickman, was murdered at the gate to his rural ranch ear-lier this year, but the Bee County Sheriff’s Office solved that case.


(Continued from 1A)

Bender, who is respon-sible for many of Beeville’s sidewalk decorations, won first place.

Next school year, she enrolled in Art 1 class; as a senior, Art 2, 3 and 4.

“And, I often skipped shorthand class to go to the art room,” she says.

The secretarial world’s loss was the art world’s gain — particularly on Beeville’s holiday streets.

“The funny thing is, I didn’t know I had any tal-ent. As children (Bender is the eldest of two broth-ers, two sisters) we made our own paper dolls and clothes. We just thought everybody did those kinds of things.”

So did she, and still does: laying tile, putting down wood flooring, along with artwork.

Her multi-talents served her well. When she moved here in 1978, she owned and operated two restaurants, was an in-school assistant at Moreno Middle School and was a correctional officer at Garza West.

But art will out.While working at the

middle school, she would write with calligraphy the names of students.

“Some of the kids still have them,” she says.

She also decorated

bulletin boards, creat-ed baseball posters and painted scenery for the ball games.

When she moved to Garza West, she decorat-ed the walls of some of the offices with murals.

“I don’t like small art-works,” she says. “When I started a mural at Garza, the warden thought it would take three weeks to finish. I did it in four days.”

One late, autumn eve-ning in 1980, Bender’s next-door neighbor lamented that, years before, the whole neigh-borhood used to decorate their yards.

So, Bender made two kneeling angels and can-dle holders.

By chance, then Chamber of Commerce president Doug Curry saw Bender’s decorations.

“Would you do some fig-ures for the county court-house?” he asked.

“Sure,” Bender said. “What do you want?”

“Oh, just give me $500 worth.”

“That was the start,” Bender says, “and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

One year, when work-men were unpacking two-dimensional Christmas trees, Bender said, “I can make those look like real trees.”

She constructed a few of them; the next year, the Chamber asked her to make 39.

That three-dimension-al concept expanded to include sidewalk decora-tions for Independence Day and Western Week.

Although Bender retired last December, you couldn’t tell it from this year’s holiday decora-tions.

She has painted deco-rations on three build-ings, including the public library.

“I had to do some research. I’d never paint-ed windows before, so I had to go online and find out what paint to use so it isn’t permanent.”

All because, almost five decades ago, a history teacher thought a student was bored in study hall and had an idea.

The rest is history.Bill Clough is a reporter at the

Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 122, or at [email protected].

(Continued from 1A)

Bender also responsible for artwork on windows

how dependent upon water the city is, not only for growth but just to sus-tain what it has.

Several new hotels have been built in what is now dubbed “hotel row” along U.S. Highway 59 east of the city, and new apart-ments and even condos are going up around town. And they all need water.

With Lake Corpus Christi well below a com-fortable level, at a stag-gering 15 percent of capac-ity, the city is working to ensure that not a drop of the wet stuff goes to waste.

Reports released early this year estimated that about $20K per month in treated water was literally seeping back into the soil through leaky pipes.

For the past six months, city crews have been work-ing to repair the leaks in the almost 20-mile pipe-line from Swinney Switch as fast as they can.

During a recent confer-ence in Corpus Christi, Mike Bewley, the super-visor of the division of emergency management, part of the Department of Public Safety, gave a dire warning.

Texas has an unimagi-nable water crisis.

“Five million trees in Texas died last year,” Bewley said.

One of the frustrations he faces is convincing city, county and regional gov-ernments to admit there is a crisis.

“In 2007, San Angelo had only eight weeks of water left. Yet, there is no evidence the city ever formulated a water plan,” he said during that con-ference. “They never insti-tuted water restrictions. Their water was going to run out in eight weeks, but you still could water your lawns.”

However, it cost that city around $1.5 million a day to haul 100 trucks of bottled water during the shortage, and that was

every day until it rained.His office has yet to find

any Texas municipality that has made any plans as to what to do if it should run out of water.

The drought, he said, is forcing a paradigm shift. “It is challenging our water laws, which originated in Europe, where they don’t have droughts,” he says. “Eventually, some emer-gency manager is going to be faced with figuring out who gets the remaining water — a power plant or a hospital.”

Many residents have clung to the hope offered earlier this year by John Metz of the National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi. He offered there was a 40 percent chance that the current La Niña condition affecting South Texas with extend-ed dry weather will start changing to an El Niño pattern and moisture will return to this part of the state.

Still, there has been no significant rain.

Beeville is actually about 10 inches behind on rainfall for the year.

This lack of rain devas-tated many of the crops.

Corn and grain sorghum (milo) crops just about burned up in the fields this year. Little hope was had for the cotton.

When cotton was plant-ed this year, there was some moisture about a foot into the soil. But soon the roots of the cotton plants will reach lower than that, and all they will find when they get that deep will be powder-dry dirt.

Even the drilling in the Eagle Ford Shale is depen-dent upon the amount of water that can be pumped out of the ground.

It takes about 4.7 mil-lion gallons of water to frack the average well in the Eagle Ford shale. Some take considerably more and some take less.

Water, or lack thereof, will continue to appear in the news either directly through drought con-cern stories or indirectly through occasions of pros-perity.

Whether the glass is half full or half empty, what remains is the liquid key to the continued growth of city and county.


Water keeps growth flowing(Continued from 1A)

Bee-Picayune staffChoosing the

Newsmaker of the Year is never an easy task.

This year, it came down to three choices — all worthy in their own right.

First, and likely the most obvious, the oil industry. The Eagle Ford Shale continues to domi-nate the news, bringing with it an economic boom that is keeping this area out of the financial crisis plaguing the rest of the country.

Then there was our col-lege or more specifically, its new president.

Dr. Beatriz Espinoza has made great strides to improve the educational institution and has even

been able to turn around the decrease in enroll-ment. She deserves her share of accolades for that accomplishment.

Not to be too hung up on firsts so as to overshadow her work thus far, but it is also noteworthy that she is the first woman and first Hispanic leader of the college.

We opted though to choose water this year, primarily because it has been a constant leader in the news cycle with not only the perpetual drought but the improve-ments, both underway and planned, in the city’s infrastructure to keep it flowing to a growing num-ber of homes and busi-nesses.

How the winner is chosen

Motorists driving east of Farm-to-Market Road 673 on County Road 304 might want to ignore at least one of the signs posted on the side of the road. This sign tells drivers to slow down to 15 mph to negotiate a curve to the left when, actually, the road curves to the right. The sign is posted about 1.3 miles east of the farm-to-

market road that takes travelers to Mineral and Pawnee. One motorist said the sign appeared last week along with a number of new warnings installed on that stretch of road. Fortunately, most folks living down that road have known about the curve to the right for some time and they probably ignore the signs anyway.

Turn lefT, no righT

gary Kent photo

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