PAGE 9

Sheriff’s Office Arrests Trio From Matagorda Volunteer Fire

Dept. Over Missing $50,000SEE PAGE 3

WEDNESDAYApril 11, 2018

VOL. 111 • NO.15

BEACONBRIEFS

P. O. Box 817 • 310 Fifth St.Palacios, TX 77465

(361) 972-3009/Fax 972-2610E-Mail: palaciosbeacon@gmail.com

Website: palaciosbeacon.com

The OnlyNewspaper In The

World Published Just For The Palacios Area.

PALACIOS

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TEXAS

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Beacon Deadline 5 p.m. Friday

Except for paid advertising, all articles, photos or other infor-mation submitted on Monday will be published on a space available basis only.

Open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.Beacon Closed Wednesday

Observing Our

111Year1907-2018

• Beacon Deadline 5 p.m. Fri. For Articles, Advertising & 11 a.m. Mon. For Classifieds •

Palacios Pride

Pick it uP

(See FORECAST, Page 5)

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

PalaciosPalaciosBEACONBEACONProudly Serving The City By The Sea Since 1907USPS 418460 1 SectiON, 12 PAGES

Extended Range Hurricane Forecast calls for above

average 2018 season

(See GOLFCART, Page 5)

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

Co. Commissioners give green light for golf carts to roam

county roads

“What will I inherit?” Have you ever asked this question to a family mem-ber? The answer to this question makes people either very happy or very sad. As we conclude our spring sessions on “The Kingdom of Heaven,” we will learn what we per-sonally will inherit from our Heavenly Father as a member of His kingdom.

The Patchwork Com-munity Bible Study will be held Saturday, April 14, at the Christian Life Center, 200 Welch St.

For more information contact Donna Chris-tensen at 361-972-6068 or Donna@PatchworkofLi-fe.com; or Fran Callahan, at 361-404-0333 or Cal-lahanfran8@gmail.com.

■ Patchwork Bible Study Sat. at FBC CLC

Harmonie Club Distributes

Funds

Candidates in May races take centerstage at Chamber lunch

(See CHAMBER, Page 2)

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

(See FARENTHOLD, Page 3)

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

Farenthold prematurely ejects self

from seat in Congress

The long ref-erenced hurri-cane prognos-ticators from Colorado State University fore-cast a slightly above average 2018 hurricane season in their Extended Range Forecast released last

Thursday.Behind the prediction are

CSU’s Philip J. Klotzbach

Golf carts will now be (le-gally) driven on county roads including the beach after ac-tion taken by the Matago-rda County Commissioners Court.

The first day for registra-tion of golf carts in the Tax Assessor's office was April 9,

Last Thursday’s Palacios Chamber of Commerce General Membership Meeting/Political Forum gave candi-dates for the upcoming city and school board races a chance to be heard by those in attendance.

After introducing new members Fat Boyz Catering - Jeff Michaels & Lidia Ruch, Margerum Manor - Dale & Meleia Cox, Trull Services, Coast-al Bend Association of Realtors, and

King of Kings Fitness, Chamber Vice-President David Kocurek yielded the podium to Palacios ISD School Board Pos. 2 incumbent candidate, Peter Es-traca. Estraca proudly noted that dur-ing his tenure, the school board and superintendent “have eliminated a $1.3 million deficit in 2014-2015, and trans-formed it into a $580k surplus for our fund balance in 2016-2017.” He also stated that they have also, among other accomplishments, developed a plan to overcome the loss of $2.5 million an-nually in ASATR funding., and will

continue to focus on that. “We are on good footing right now,” he said.

Rob Kessler, who is unopposed in Pos.1, also spoke, but mostly in sup-port of Estraca. “I just want to give kudos to Peter. He’s probably our best board member, and I’m not exagger-ating. He always brings our meetings back to what the heart of the issue is.”

Donna Schulman, candidate for Pos. 2 on City Council, couldn’t be present due to her work schedule, but prepared a statement that was read by Brandi

Beleaguered by accusa-tions of crude and abusive verbal office behavior four months ago by former staff-ers which forced him to drop a bid at reelection in Novem-ber, District 27 Congressman Blake Farenthold (R) opted to resign last Friday rather than serve out the rest of his term - as he had originally planned.

Much like he did in Decem-ber when he announced his plan to forgo a reelection bid, Farenthold announced the decision to resign with video posted on line.

Get ready to get blast-ed by color at the annual running of the Boys & Girls Club of Palacios Colorful 5k by the Bay, held next Sat. (April 14).

The run is set to be-gin and end at Palacios’ Pelican City Park at the intersection of Main St. and Sixth St. Registra-tion is $40 per adult, $15 per youth (aged 6-18) and free for children un-der 5 and current Boys & Girls Club of Palacios members.

For more info or to register visit www.pala-cioskids.org.

B&G Club’s annual Colorful 5k by the Bay this Saturday

Palacios Trail Riders on the road again...THE Palacios Trail Riders braved the winds and falling temperatures that hit last Saturday morning and put the hoof to the pavement as they embarked on their annual trail ride. Led by the chuck wagon pulled by mule, the rid-ers rode their way around the western part of Matagorda County with an outhouse bringing up the rear. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West)

Gazebos going up around Pavilion...A fresh pair of gazebos is going up around the new Palacios Coastal Educational Pavilion. While construction of the Pavilion is complete, landscaping and clean-up remain to be finished. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West)

Palacios’s only live music venue, The Outrigger Event Center, presented singer/songwriter Buddy Mondlock last Saturday night. His folk/jazz song stylings kept the audience enthralled in the inti-mate venue, which will switch gears next month with Tremoloco, a five-piece self-described “Can-tina Music” band from L.A. that promises to raise the rafters.

Each month the rustic event space at the corner of 5th and Commerce hosts a variety of musical genres that keeps its loyal patrons coming back, so keep your eyes peeled for their ads in the Beacon or the billboard on the front of the building for what’s next. Events usually include a meal.

Buddy Mondlock behind the mic

on the Outrigger Event Center stage

■ PISD Pre-K, Kindgergarten Parent meeting Thurs. & Fri

Palacios ISD will hold an information meeting regarding Pre-K and kin-dergarten registration on Thurs. (April 12) at 5:30 p.m. for Pre-K and at 2:45 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. for kinder. On Fri. (April 13) a Pre-K meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m.

DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAYPage 2 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., April 11, 2018 DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAY

The PALACIOS BEACONYour hometown newspaper for 111 years!

CofC (Continued From Page 1)

Over 800 WISD students still displaced WHARTON: When the Harvey flood waters came to

Wharton and swept away homes, students from Wharton ISD had their routines swept away as well. The students that were most affected by Hurricane Harvey are now under the protection of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act. The “Act” is designed to help anyone who lacks a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime resi-dence. There are a few ways to qualify under this act. They include sharing the housing of others; living in hotels, mo-tels, trailer parks or camping grounds; living in emergen-cy or transitional; or living in cars, parks or other public spaces. “We had approximately 15 students who qualified as homeless before Hurricane Harvey,” said Cindy Mahal-tic, Director of Student Services for WISD. “After Harvey, when we took an internal look at the verified flooding list from the Wharton County Appraisal District and checked our student addresses, we have 827 students.” - Wharton Journal -Spectator

215 arrested during Spring Break in Port APORT ARANSAS: Spring Break 2018 went as expect-

ed for the Port Aransas Police Department - parties to the south, families to the north. During “Texas Week,” Satur-day, Mar. 10, to Sunday, Mar. 18, the PAPD, Texas Depart-ment of Public Safety (DPS), Texas Parks and Wildlife De-partment (TPWD), Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and Nueces County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office deputies made 215 total arrests, said Police Chief Scott Burroughs. Last year, during the same week, 235 arrests were made. “It went exactly how we thought it would go,” Buroughs said. Nearly one-third of the arrests made during Spring Break were for driving while intoxicated. “I would say 90 to 100 percent of arrests during Spring Break involve al-cohol or drugs in some factor.” - Port Aransas South Jetty

A new wolf den for St. FrancisNAVASOTA: The wolves of St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary

in Montgomery will soon have a new home, right here in Grimes County. At one time, Texas - the epitome of the wild west - was the home to not one, but three types of wolf; the gray wolf, the southeastern red wolf, and a sub-species of the gray called the Mexican Gray Wolf. Now, however, the St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary is the only loca-tion in Texas that currently accepts and cares for rescue wolves and wolf-dog hybrids. “Many of these animals have come from less than ideal situations - private own-ers, shelters or animal control agencies - that did not have the means or the knowledge to care for them,” said Gentry Leonard, president of the board for the 501c(3). - The Navasota Examiner

PALACIOS BEACON

Area Briefs

West. In her statement, Schulman said that it is her desire to bring new, fresh ideas for making our town better, and to listen to the residents of Palacios to help carry out their desires for our town.

Mark Rusk, also running for Pos. 2 on City Council, stated that he has served on several boards and commit-tees since moving to Palacios in 2009, and stated, “I believe I could work well with the en-tire city council.”

Current Mayor Glen Smith, who is unopposed in the up-coming election, rounded out the candidates present at the meeting, and stated, “It’s been my pleasure and honor to represent the City, and I’m doing the best I possibly can to put us in the best possible light.” Among Mayor Smith’s goals for the future are lower taxes, airport improvements, and stronger codes and en-forcement.

Business of the MonthSnagging the ‘Business of the Month’

award was Louis Rush’s 5th Day Guide Service. Rush stated that he offers fish-ing and hunting guide services in the

bay and up and down the coast. He is also available for birding tours.

Upcoming EventsJohn Garr announced that the Cham-

ber of Commerce will have a ‘Mixer’ at the Pavilion on May 10 at 5 p.m., and also a Volunteer Dinner on Apr. 17. The Boys and Girls Colorful 5k by the Bay is on Apr. 14, and the Pa-lacios Rotary Club Golf Tour-nament will be on Apr. 28. St. Anthony’s Spring Gala will also be on Apr. 28. The Cub Scouts 3rd Annual Cinco De Mayo Scouting Celebration will be on, you guessed it, May 5 at Railroad Park.

MeetingsChamber of Commerce

Board of Directors Meeting on Apr. 12, Palacios Econom-ic Development Meeting on Apr. 18, and the next Cham-ber of Commerce General Meeting will be on May 3 at the Pavilion.

FIFTH Day Guide Service, owned by Louis Rush, was named the Business of the Month at last week’s monthly general membership luncheon of the Palacios Chamber of Commerce. Pictured are: (front, l-r) Leland Singer, John Garr, Becky Rusk, David Kocurek, Scott Kizer, Debbie Morris, Mary Crocker, Sandra Lox, Pam Oliver, Deb & Glen Smith, Nate McDonald, Bret Macha and John Harrison; (topside) Louise Rush. (Beacon Photo by Alan Schulman)

Chamber of Commerce Business of the Month....

Palacios Beacon - Wed., April 11, 2018 - Page 3DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAY

Palacios Pride

Pick it uP

Sheriff ’s Office investigation leads to arrest of three Matagorda Volunteer Firefighters over missing $50,000

ARRESTSBrenda Lyn Hurtado, 25, 515 Hender-

son Ave 3, was arrested in the 500 block of Henderson Ave at 12:20 a.m. on Apr. 1. Assault Causes Bodily Injury Family Vio-lence.

John Dennis Fiegel, 57, Roosevelt, was arrested in the 1500 block of Henderson Ave at 3:37 p.m. on Apr. 2. Driving While Intoxicated.

Veronica Marie Galvan, 38, Bay City, was arrested in the 300 block of Commerce St. at 4:24 p.m. on Apr. 3. Driving While License Suspended, Failure to Identify.

INCIDENTSTheft by Check: Officer met with com-

plainant at the Police Annex at 12:18 p.m. on Apr. 30 in reference to a Theft by Check.

Concerned Citizen/Threats: Officer spoke with a concerned citizen at 1:40 p.m. on Apr. 4 in reference to threats made on Facebook against another person.

Criminal Trespass: Officer was dis-patched to the 100 block of Sandpiper Cir-cle at 1:48 p.m. on Apr. 4 in reference to an unwanted subject who refused to come out of an apartment.

Individuals listed have been arrested and/or charged with an offense. Inclusion in this report does not imply that the person is guilty of any crime. The following are offense and arrest reports submitted by the Palacios Police Dept. to the Palacios Beacon as of noon Friday.

• Palacios Police Reports •

From the Police ChiefBy Police Chief

David MilesGraduation is

coming very soon. Every year I pray for those that at-tend the numerous parties in pastures and barns without any supervision. I don’t want any-one’s child to be-come a statistic.

FARENTHOLD (Continued From Page 1)

B & S Meat Market Corner of 8th Street and FM 1468 • Markham

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Deer Processing and Custom Slaughtering

April 11th - April 17th

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All items vacuum packed to ensure freshness.

CHICKEN WINGS 2.79/ lb. LIVER 1.99/ lb.

COUNTRY STYLE RIBS 1.79/ lb. CHUCK ROAST $4.89/ lb.

DJ’s on Saturday Nights814 Henderson (Hwy 35) • Palacios • 361-356-1072

Come Join the Fun

Open 7 Days A Week • 10 a.m.-2 a.m.No Minors after 9 p.m.

~ Mixed Drinks & Draft Beer ~

Omar’s Bar & Grill

A trio of Matagorda Volunteer Firefighters were arrested last week on charges of theft from a non-profit and engaging in organized criminal activity.

Over the last nine months, the Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office conducted a crimi-nal investigation into funds missing from the Matagorda Volunteer Fire Department. The investigation showed in excess of $50,000 missing from the Department’s books.

As a result of the investigation the follow-ing individuals were arrested on March 29 for Theft from a Non-Profit and Engaging in Organized Crim-inal Activity: John Marvin Ward, 61; Cynthia Franklin Ward, 57; and Thomas Ever-ett Holstine, 46.

Holstine was charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity 1st degree felony, and Theft of Prop-erty from a Non-Profit 2nd Degree Felony. John Ward was charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activ-ity 2nd Degree Felony and

Theft of Property from a Non-Profit 3rd De-gree Felony. Cynthia Ward was charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity 2nd Degree Felony and Theft of Property from a Non-Profit 3rd Degree Felony.

The trio bonded out of County Jail the same day as their arrest.

The Sheriff’s Office had assistance in the case from the DPS Financial Crimes Divi-sion in Austin, Texas. Sheriff Osborne takes all crimes seriously and especially Crimes against the Public Trust.

April is National Distract-ed Driving Month and with nearly 1 in 5 crashes in Texas involving distracted driving – a ratio that has not changed in the past three years – the Texas Department of Trans-portation reminds drivers that their undivided attention to the road could save a life.

“It’s extremely concerning that drivers still choose to give their attention to things other than the road when they’re behind the wheel,” said TxDOT Executive Di-rector James Bass. “As a so-ciety, we’re more connected than ever to our devices and easily tempted to multitask, but drivers need to under-stand all of these various dis-tractions can lead to a tragic outcome.”

In 2017, 19 percent of ve-hicle crashes on Texas roads involved distracted driv-ing. Those 100,687 crashes resulted in 444 deaths and 2,889 serious injuries. In

an effort to curb distracted-driving crashes, TxDOT is launching its new “Heads up, Texas” campaign in partner-ship with AT&T It Can Wait. The centerpiece of the cam-paign is a 19-city, distracted-driving virtual reality experi-ence launching in Waco on April 4.

According to AT&T It Can Wait, the majority of Texans ages 15-54 admit to driving distracted because of their smartphone. Additionally, nearly all Texans surveyed consider smartphone distrac-tions to be dangerous while driving, but nearly 9 out of 10, or 89 percent, admit they do it. “The It Can Wait cam-paign shares a simple mes-sage: Distracted driving is never OK,” said Ryan Luck-ey, assistant vice president of Corporate Brand Marketing for AT&T. “We’re proud to join TxDOT in sharing that message with Texans through revealing survey data and

events that highlight the dan-gers and the new law.”

Effective Sept. 1, 2017, a texting-while-driving ban was written into law making it illegal to read, write or send a text while driving in Texas. Violators can face a fine up to $200. Though texting while driving is now punish-able by law, it’s not the only smartphone activity putting Texas drivers and passengers at risk. Among those Texans surveyed by AT&T It Can Wait, the top 5 smartphone distractions while driving are:

• Texting • Snapping/viewing photos • Playing music • Emailing • Accessing social media To learn more about Tx-

DOT’s “Heads up, Texas” campaign, visit txdot.gov/driver/share-road/distracted.html.

TxDot launches ‘Heads-Up, Texas’ campaign to curb distracted-driving accidents

PUBLIC NOTICE OF TEST OF AUTOMATICTABULATING EQUIPMENT

Notice is hereby given that the automatic tabulating equipment that will be used in the City of Palacios/Palacios ISD Joint General Election to be held on May 5, 2018 will be tested on April 13, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at the County Clerk’s Office 1700 7th Street, Room 202 of the Courthouse, Bay City, Texas to ascertain that it will accurately count the votes cast for all of-fices and on all measures. JANET HICKL, County Clerk

Matagorda County, Texas

AVISO PUBLICO DE PROBAREL EQUIPO PARA TABULAR AUTOMATICAMENTE

Por lo presente se da aviso que el equipo para tabular automáticamente que se usará en la Elección Generale Conjunta que se llevará a cabó el, 5 de Mayo, 2018 se probará el 13 de Abril, 2018 a las 10:00 a.m. en el regis-tro civil 1700 calle siete, Cuarto 202 de la Corte en Bay City, Texas para determinar si el equipo contará con exacitud los votos para todos los pues-tos oficiales y sobre todos los proyectos de ley.

JANET HICKL, Empleada de CondadoEl Condado de Matagorda, Texas

In the 1:44 video, Faren-thold failed to mention any of the allegations that led to his downfall, nor did he apolo-gize for the use of taxpayer funds of $84,000 to settle a sexual harassment suit with a former staffer.

In December he had prom-ised to repay the funds used in the settlement, but it ap-pears that hasn’t happened.

Farenthold’s statement read as follows:

”Since being elected to Congress in 2010, I've worked to make government more efficient and respon-sive, cut government spend-ing, repeal Obamacare, pro-tect life and reduce the debt. Locally, I've worked tireless-ly to get federal funding for the widening and deepening project at the Port of Corpus Christi and help our other area ports and military facili-ties. I've also been extremely successful in working with our communities on recover-ing from Hurricane Harvey. Most importantly, I've been able to help countless people, especially veterans with their problems with the federal government.

"While I planned on serv-ing out the remainder of my

term in Congress, I know in my heart it's time for me to move along and look for new ways to serve.

“Therefore, I sent a letter to Governor Greg Abbott to-day resigning from the House of Representatives effective at 5:00 p.m. today, April 6, 2018.

“It's been an honor and privilege to serve the con-stituents of Texas' 27th Con-gressional District. I would like to thank my staff both in Washington and Texas for all of their hard work on behalf

of our constituents. I would also like to thank my family for their unwavering support and most importantly the people that elected me.

“Leaving my service in the House, I'm able to look back at the entirety of my career in public office and say that it was well worthwhile."

Constituent services by the Congressman's Red Tape Cutters, academy nomina-tions and other services will continue under the super-vision of the Clerk of the House.

The City of Palacios and Palacios Independent School District will be holding their respective elections on May 5.

On the City ticket, a pair of fresh faces, Donna Harvey Schulman and Mark Rusk, are vying for one seat at the Council table’s Pos. 2.

In the PISD Trustee race,

incumbent in Pos. 2 Peter Estraca faces off against Carl Filip.

Early voting will begin on April 23 and run thru May 1.

The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is April 24 (re-ceived, not postmarked).

The last day to receive bal-lots by mail is 7 p.m.., May 5.

Early voting for City Council, PISD Trustee races begins April 23

PETEr

PISD TruSTEEPOS. 2

The following have paid to have their names listed as candidates for Pos. 2 on the Palacios ISD Board of Trustees. The cost for the Candidate Listing is $30. The cost for the candidate listing plus a one time candidate announce-ment article is $50. The deadline for inclusion in the Candidate Listing or to submit a candidate announcement article is 5 p.m. Friday.

ESTrACA[Pol. Adv. pd for by Sharon Estraca, Trea-

surer, 13809 FM 2853, Palaicos, TX 77465]

CANDIDATELISTINGS

DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAYPage 4 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., April 11, 2018

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