Last Thursday’s Regu-lar Meeting of the Board of Commissioners of Matago-rda County Navigation Dis-trict # 1 saw the commis-sioners efficiently working through a short agenda.

After hearing from Matagorda County Econom-ic Development Corporation Executive Director Mike

Ferdinand, who stated that several projects remain in the works, the commission-ers approved several items.

Port Director Victor Mar-tinez was recently voted in as the new Vice President of the Texas Ports Associa-tion. Phyllis Saathofj was voted in as the President for a two-year-term, at the end

PISD RecognizesTrustee Trio ForYears Of Service

See Page 2 See Page 3

Busy DayFor The

PVFD

WEDNESDAYOCT. 14, 2020VOL. 113 • NO. 41

BEACONBRIEFS

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

(361) 972-3009palaciosbeacon@gmail.com

Website: palaciosbeacon.com

The OnlyNewspaper In The

World Published Just For The Palacios Area.

PALACIOS,

•

TEXAS

Beacon Deadline 5 p.m. Friday

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

thObserving Our

113Year1907-2020

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

Inside ThisWeek....

Palacios Beacon

Area Briefs...............Page 2 Police Reports..........Page 5Early Files................Page 4Classifieds...............Page 8Sports................Pages 9-10 Lifestyles................Page 11Youth.....................Page 12

(See LUTHER, Page 3)

• Deadline for Articles, Classified & Display Ads 4:30 p.m. Friday•

SUBSCRIBETO THE

PALACIOSBEACON$30 A YEARIN COUNTY$40 A YEAR

OUT-OF COUNTY

(See RAINBOW, Page 4)

(See HARVEST, Page 3)

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

PalaciosPalaciosBEACONBEACON$1.00

Palacios Pride

Pick it uP

PCMC among $3.5-million in USDA funds awarded to Texas

See Page 2

Gratitude Project MakesPresentations

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

Rainbowland staffer positive for COVID-19

BY BRANDI GARCIA WESTPalacios Beacon

(See MCND, Page 6)

Early voting underway in

Nov. elections

Matagorda County Sheriff arrested by Texas Rangers

■ Gratitude Project’s Grand Distribution of Books Sat.

All are welcome to attend the Palacios Gratitude Project’s Grand Distribution of Books on Sat. (Oct. 17) from 4-6 p.m. at the Palacios Boys & Girls Club driveway, in the 900 block of Second St. Stay in the car and wear a mask, and the books will be delivered to your window.

Matagorda County Sheriff Frank ‘Skipper’ Osborne was booked into Matagorda County Jail on Oct 6 after being arrested and charged with tampering with a government record.

After an investigation, the Texas Rangers arrested Osborne, with the report indicating the of-fense occurred on Feb. 3 of this year.

He was released from custody

on a $5,000 personal recogni-zance bond.

According to the grand jury documents, Osoborne is accust-ed of “removing the record from the Matagorda County Sheriff’s office’s master jail book after the false arrest of an elderly woman in Feb. of this year by deputies.

The indictment states Maria Ramos Reyes was falsley ar-rested on Feb. 3 by MCSO depu-tites after she was mistaken for

Palacios Library’s annual Harvest Moon Dinner & Auction this week

Traditionally, the Harvest Moon is a Din-ner and Dance hosted by the Friends of the Library for Century Club Members to thank them for the support that their sponsorships give to our library. The funds raised by Cen-tury Club Membership and the auction that accompanies the Harvest Moon Dinner are used by the Palacios and Blessing Libraries to support their programs. Without this vi-tal piece, the Palacios Library would not be able to hire high schoolers to offer free tutor-ing for children after school, purchase sup-plies for our programs, or take the winners of Summer Reading to parties and on fieldtrips.

What is the Century Club?The Century Club is a group of individu-

als who are dedicated to helping the Palacios

and Blessing Library continue their work in the community. The goal of the Century Club is to reach 100 members, but throughout the years we have yet to meet our goal. Perhaps this could be the year? Membership to the Century Club is $100, and to thank the gen-erosity of these individuals, two tickets to the traditional Harvest Moon Dinner and Dance are granted each year. The dinner is normally held at the Palacios Recreation Center in Oc-tober, complete with a catered dinner and a live band. It is often a highlight of the year.

What about THIS year?It’s no surprise that 2020 has thrown every-

one everywhere for a loop of massive propor-tions. The Palacios Library has adapted the

U.S. Secretary of Agricul-ture Sonny Perdue recently announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $72 million in grants to help ru-ral residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities. These invest-ments will benefit more than 12 million rural residents. State Director Edd Hargett announced this includes five projects in Texas totaling $3.5 million.

The Palacios Community

Medical Center will receive a $812,500 grant to connect rural residents with virtual access to health care in a clinic, institution (Emergen-cy Room/inpatient) and/or home setting. Through this connectivity, rural residents will have virtual access to their hometown providers in "real-time" via a telecom connection provided by Pa-lacios Community Medical Center.

“Increasing access to tele-

Rainbowland Daycare ex-perienced its’ first closure since the start of the pan-demic when one teacher test-ed positive for COVID-19.

According to Executive Business Manager of Rain-bowland Daycare Melinda Cruz, the center followed protocols set forth by the

(See SHERIFF, Page 3)

(See VOTING, Page 2)

Martinez named VP of Texas Ports Association

(See PCMC, Page 6)

Driver lucky to walk away...

Trustees of the Montgomery Family Trust recently presented gift to The Luther Hotel Foundation to help in the restora-tion project of the Luther Suite.

The Luther Hotel has been an iconic symbol of Palacios since 1903. Over that time, thousands of residents and visitors

have looked out over Tres Palacios Bay, strolled the shoreline or just rested under the large trees and enjoyed the cool sea breezes. The Luther has survived world wars, hurricanes, financial booms and

Mongtomery Trust presents gift to help with restorations of Luther Suite

Pictured are: (left to right) Suzie Rivera, Lorenzo Fuentes (Project Manager), Che-lette Baker, (Luther Hotel Foundation Manager), and Jerry Purvis and Colleen Clay-born, Montgomery Family Trust Trustees. (Submitted Photo)

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

Early voting is now under-way in the November 3 Gen-eral Election and runs thru Oct. 30, only on weekdays from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., and on Thursday’s, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

All early voting in Palacios will be done at the Port of Palacios - Matagorda County Navigation District Admin-istration building, located at 1602 Main St.

A suspected running of the stop sign at the intersection of FM 521 and FM 2853 nearly claimed the life of the driver of a white, four door sedan on Oct. 5 when the vehicle was struck by a cotton-module hauling truck head-ed westbound on FM 2853. The impact crushed the rear drivers side of the vehicle just behind the driver’s seat. (Beacon Photos by Brandi G. West)

Mat. Co. SheriffFrank ‘Skipper’ Osborne

DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAYPage 2 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., October 14, 2020

Palacios ISD recognizes trio of Trustees for years of service

•The Palacios Beacon • Serving the City by the Sea since 1907

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

PALACIOS BEACON

Area BriefsMan drowns while tubing with family

MARTINDALE: Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office personnel and emergency crews, including area divers, Swift River Rescue teams, and fire fighters were dis-patched to the San Marcos River near Martindale around 3:30 p.m. Saturday after a man was reported missing. The missing man, identified as Jessie Austin, Jr. of Fresno, age 29, was reported to have been tubing with his wife when he either got off or fell off the floatation device he was on and did not resurface. The search, which began in the area where the tuber was last seen, continued until around 10 p.m. Emergency crews resumed their efforts around 7 a.m. Sunday. The young man’s body was recovered in a deep water area around 1 p.m. - Luling Newsboy & Signal

Bus stop leads to laundered concealed cashFLATONIA: A routine traffic stop by Fayette County

Reserve Drug Interdiction Investigator Jeremy Ellison re-sulted in an arrest for money laundering after $186,070 in United States Currency was found concealed in a bus. Ac-cording to Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek, Ellison stopped a bus traveling westbound on Interstate 10 near the 665 mile-marker. The driver, Jose Luis Salazar, 55, of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, gave inconsistent stories about his travel pattern and other criminal indicators, Korenek noted. Consent was given for the search and concealed compartments were located. In one of the concealed com-partments, Ellison located several vacuum sealed packag-es which contained United States Currency. Salazar was arrested and transported to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center and charged with money laundering between $150,000 and $300,000, a second-degree felony that carries a maxi-mum penalty of 20 years confinement in the Texas Depart-ment of Corrections. - The Banner-Press Newspaper

Pair of planes crash while attempting to landSAN MARCOS: Two people landed in the hospital af-

ter two planes collided at the San Marcos Regional Airport Thursday evening on the west side of Caldwell County. According to Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jay Vanden Bos, the crash occurred at about 7:20 p.m. Thurs-day when two planes—one a Cessna Skyhawk carrying two people and the other a kit-built experimental craft occupied only by its pilot—both attempted to land at the same time, neither seeing the other. DPS reported that the Cessna, flown by a student pilot with his instructor on board, remained on the runway but injured both oc-cupants. Although taken from the scene by ambulance, neither had life-threatening injuries, DPS reported. The kit-built plane flipped and crashed into a nearby fence, where it caught fire shortly afterward. Amazingly, its pi-lot walked away from the crash. The FAA and National Transportaion Safety Board are investigating the incident. - Luling Newsboy & Signal

Like us on Facebook for additional WEEKEND SPECIALS!

Custom Slaughtering and Deer Processing

Hours: Mon.-Fri./9am-7pm • Sat./9am-5pm • Open Sundays 11am-5p.m.

Corner of 8th Street and FM 1468 • Markham

979-843-5730

B & S Meat MarketOrder Today

on our FaceBook

Page!

We Deliver to Palacios!

PALACIOS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT GENERAL ELECTION and PALACIOS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT SPECIAL ELECTION FOR

UNEXPIRED TERMMatagorda County Early Voting and Election Day Polling Place LocationsFor early voting, a voter may vote at either of the locations listed below:PCT 3A , 3B , 4 and 7 Navigation District No. 1 Bay City Service Center 1602 Main 2105 Ave. M Palacios, TX 77465 Bay City, TX 77414

ELECCIÓN GENERAL DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR INDEPENDIENTE DE PALACIOS Y DISTRITO ESCOLAR INDEPENDIENTE DE PALACIOS ELECCIÓN

ESPECIAL PARA TERMINO NO VENCIDOLos Lugares de Votación Del Día de Las Elecciones y la Votación Anticipada Del Condado de Matagorda Para Votación Adelantada, los votantes podrán votar en cualguiera de las ubicaciones nombradas abajo:PCT 3A , 3B , 4 and 7 Navigation District No. 1 Bay City Service Center 1602 Main 2105 Ave. M Palacios, TX 77465 Bay City, TX 77414

Representatives of the Palacios Well-ness Council’s Gratitude Project have been making rounds around town de-livering certificates of appreciation and their hugging heart logos & bumper stickers.

First stop was at the City of Palacios where Project members presented the City of Palacios with the first of several

certificates.The certificates, also pre-sented to the Palacios Post Office, Pa-lacios ISD, the Palacios Recycling Cen-ter, The Matagorda County Navigation District #1, the Port of Palacios, the Pa-lacios Beacon, the Palacios Library and the Palacios Chamber of Commerce, read as follows:

“Thank you and your team for car-ing and support for our community! The COVID-19 pandemic has been a chal-lenge for us all. So much has changed in

such a short time! Every Organiza-tion has had to change and adapt and we know that is not always easy. Yet, despite that, you all rose to the challenge and cre-ated changes that

focused on people’s health and wellness and our community’s safety.

Every day our local organizations are putting in extra hours to keep us safe. You are our heroes! We are over-whelmed by the way you responded and we want to share our gratitude for the changes and sacrifices you and your team have made.

Nothing is more important than the safety of the individuals and families in our community. The Palacios Wellness Council recognizes your good work and thanks you from all of our hearts.

Our community is grateful to you all. Be safe and be well.”

Gratitude Project partners include: First Book-Matagorda, Palacios Medi-cal Foundation, Sanford Community Center, Palacios Community Conversa-tion and the Palacios Wellness Council.

In a very brief online meet-ing of the Board of Trustees of Palacios ISD last Thursday, several trustees were recog-nized for their service during Board Member Service Rec-ognition.

Fabian Marroquín and Rob Kessler were awarded for five years of service, and Pa-ter Zamarripa was awarded for 15 years. Principals at PISD were also recognized as it is Principal Appreciation Month.

Approved ItemsWith no public comments

submitted for presentation during the Zoom meeting, the trustees moved forward to ap-prove the brief agenda. The Consent Agenda, which con-tained the Meeting Minutes, TX Education Human Re-sources Day Recognition, and Resignations, was approved. Also approved were Interlo-cal Agreement with Bay City ISD for SPED services, and Policy FMG (Local).

Reports to the BoardBusiness Reports, which in-

clude Monthly Financial Re-ports and Monthly Summary of Bills, and Superintendent’s Reports were presented to the board with Continuing Edu-cation Board Training to be presented next month.

Next MeetingThe next Regular Meeting

of the Board of Trustees of Palacios ISD will be on Tues-day, November 17, at 6:30 p.m.

Gratitude Project’s first stops in appreciation train BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

THE Palacios Wellness Council’s Gratitude Project presented the City of Palacios with the first of nine inaugural commendations for appreciation. Pictured are: (left to right) Project members Margaret Doughty, City Manager David Kocurek, Diva Vazquez and Don Loving. (Beacon Photo by Brandi G. West)

Early ballots may also be cast at the Bay City Service Center, located at 2105 Ave. M in Bay City.

Early voting will begin Tues. runs thru

VOTE(Continued From Page 1)

• Computer Diagnostics• Brake Service• AC Service• Tune Up

• Restoration Quality Work

• Insurance Claims Welcomed

Collision Repair Specialist

• Towing

Palacios Beacon - Wed., October 14, 2020 - Page 3DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAY

Busy day for the PVFD...

HARVEST (Continued From Page 1)

ARRESTSMadysen Ruth Chase, 18, 19 Muscatine,

was arrested in the 400 block of Main St. at 8:38 p.m. on Oct. 4. Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

INCIDENTSCriminal Mischief: Officer was dis-

patched to the Police Annex at 12:00 p.m. on Oct. 6 to meet with a complainant who wanted to report that his vehicle had been shot.

Fire: Officer responded to the 2000 block of 1st St. at 2:46 p.m. on Oct. 7 in reference to a dump truck bed that was lift-ed, struck a power line, and caused a fire.

Criminal Mischief: Officer was dis-patched to 100 Sandpiper Circle at 4:20

p.m. on Oct. 7 in reference to Criminal Mischief.

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

Miles

Pray for the folks on the Louisiana coast, a sec-ond hurricane in 6 weeks. We have been blessed.

2700 7th St. Bay City, TX

77414

(979) 245-2990

AEP Texas reminds area residents that state law now requires motorists approaching parked service utility vehicles with blue or amber flashing lights to “Move Over” to an adjacent lane or “Slow Down” by 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit.

We thank our state lawmakers for their concern about the safety of all utility workers who are working to restore power. Remember, “Move Over or Slow Down — It’s the Law.”

Move Over or Slow Down — It’s the Law

Homework Program at the li-brary to have fewer children come at different times to continue our work with them after school. Now, more than ever, it is important to sup-port our students, parents, and teachers. During the lock down of this summer, the Pa-lacios Library created week-ly Summer reading packets for the kids which we distrib-uted for them to take home and complete the activities and crafts. Over 169 children participated in our Summer Reading Program and our homework program helped an average of 60 children each day, before the social distancing mandate. In previ-

ous years, we have helped an average of 10% of the local school student body through-out the year.

How Does This Affect the Dinner and Dance?

The Friends of the Library have watched the develop-ments of local government and Covid-19 and have modified this year’s Harvest Moon. The auction will be held online from October 15th to 17th. This year, the auction will be open to any-one who wishes to partici-pate. You can sign up on our special website, bid on the items you like, and pick up your items on October 24th at the Palacios Recreation

Center from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. The items you won will be brought to your car. You can pay securely online when the auction closes using a credit card, or if you are uncomfort-able with online payments, you can opt to pay at pick-up with a check as usual. Har-vest Moon members will be provided with two compli-mentary boxed dinners ca-tered by Mustang Creek fea-turing Smoked Rack of Pork. If non-members wish to pur-chase a meal along with their items, they must do so ahead of time through the auction website. Please consider par-ticipating in this year’s on-line auction and/or becom-ing a Century Club Member to help us carry on our work during these unpredictable times. All support is appreci-ated. The Friends of the Li-brary are also accepting do-nations from local businesses and individuals for items to feature in the auction. If you are interested in donating an item, please bring it to the library or contact us at 361-972-3234.

SHERIFF(Continued From Page 1)

a wanted subject by the same name.

Osborne is allged to have attempted to “intentially impair the availability of a governmetn record...by re-moving the record from the MCSO’s computerized case management system or by redacting the record of the jailing from the master jail book.”

Reached for comment, Os-borne stated, “ Unfortunately this case is in the criminal justice system so I feel I can-not comment except to say

that the offense report of the arrest by the Officer was not destroyed, concealed, removed, or otherwise im-paired and was always avail-able. I will say I simply tried to correct a mistake and I look forward to a trial in this matter.”

Osborne is currently unop-posed in his reelection bid for Matagorda County Sher-iff on the November 3 ticket. In March’s Republican Pri-mary, he held off challenger Bill Orton, Matagorda Coun-ty Constable Pct. 6.

LUTHER(Continued From Page 1)

now pandemics. But it re-mains as a marvelous exam-ple of other times in history on this beautiful piece of the Texas Coast.

The Montgomery Family

Trust was chartered by by Robert and Hazel Montgom-ery, in part, to be able to help businesses and individuals in times of need in the Palacios community they loved.

The Palacios Beacon...where YOU get the news, lifestyles, youth & sports YOU want

LAST Wednesday (oct. 14) was a busy day for the Palacios Volunteer Fire Depar-ment with a pair of daytime fires.

The first (pictured below) was a derelict RV in behind a residence in the 100 block of Buffaloe Rd. Firefighters had to tend to more than just the smoke and flames as 4-1/2 foot rattlesnake was corraled away from the scene.

Later that afternoon, firefighters were again on the move after a tractor-trailor with a dump bed struck a powerline and the sparking downed wires caught the tall grass behind the former Sharkies Corner on fire. (Beacon Photos by Ryan West)

DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAYPage 4 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., October 14, 2020

Are you looking to read more

of this week’s edition of the

Palacios Beacon???Pick one up at the Beacon office, located at 310 Fifth St., at one of

Palacios area’s retail establishments, or purchase a yearly subscription,

just $30 in Matagorda Co. and $40 everywhere else.

Subscribe on-line, in person or by dropping a payment in the mail to

P.O. Box 817Palacios,TX

www.paypal.me/palaciosbeacon