WEDNESDAYApril 17, 2019VOL. 112 • NO. 16

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

112Year1907-2019

• Deadline for Articles, Display Ads 5 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. Monday for Classifieds •

Proudly Serving The City By The Sea Since 1907USPS 418460 1 SectiON, 10 PAGeS

PalaciosPalaciosBEACONBEACONOpen 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Beacon Closed Wednesday

SUBSCRIBETO THE

PALACIOSBEACON$30 A YEARIN COUNTY$40 A YEAR

OUT-OF COUNTY

Inside ThisWeek....

Palacios Beacon

Police Reports..........Page 3Lifestyles .................Page 7Classifieds................Page 8Sports......................Page 9 Youth......................Page 10

(See CITY, Page 2)

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

Top OfficeholdersJoin Together In PushFor Funding Solution

See Page 4 See Page 10

CentralStudents Of

The WeekSee Page 2

Alapha ClubDonatesTo PVFD

Recycle Center to hold Open House Thurs.

$1.00

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

■ Registration underway at PISD for Pre-K, Kindergarten

Kindergarten and Pre-K early registration runs thru April 30. For more information con-tact Central counselor Veronica Kacer at 972-2911.

City Manager gets thumbs up from Council

(See SEAWALL, Page 3)

First 50 visitors receive new recycling bin

(See JOBS, Page 2)

■ Easter Sun. Services at Our Redeemer

Our Redeemer Lu-theran Church, located at corner of 4th and Rorem, will hold Eas-ter Sunday Services on Sun. (April 21) begin-ning at 9:30 a.m. with breakfast, followed by Divine Service at 10:30 a.m.

Good news abounds for Seawall Commissioners Easter Sunrise Services Sun. at TBE Amphitheater

Easter Sunrise Ser-vices will be held at 6:30 a.m. on Sun. (April 21) at the Tex-as Baptist Encamp-ment Amphitheater. If raining, services will be held in the Thibodeaux Building, located at corner of Main St. and East Bay Boulevard.

Come one, come all to the Palacios Recycling Center, located at 1305 Johnson Rd., this Thurs. (April 18) beginning at 1 p.m. to come see the facility’s newest ad-ditions in an Open House

and also celebrate Bin Day, where the first 50 visitors will receive a new recy-cling bin.

Don’t be late if you want to have a chance at a free recycling bin.

“There’s a lot of good news in there,” stated Urban Engineering’s Tom Schmidt, referring to a report authored by fellow engineer Matt Glaze, which stated that FEMA will be awarding $1,798,000, which re-quires a 10% match, to the Matago-rda County-Palacios Seawall Com-mission for Hurricane Harvey repairs.

That was music to the commission-ers’ ears at last Wednesday’s monthly meeting, as they had just heard the 2018 audit report presented by Wade Whitlow of Kennemer, Masters & Lunsford LLC, which revealed that the Seawall Commission had spent a

lot of money doing repairs in 2018. Approved ItemsThe Minutes of the March 13, 2019

meeting were approved, along with a Resolution for Investment Policy with Matagorda County Treasurer’s Office, and contractor and inspec-tor reports. March Financial Reports from Ellen Dodd were accepted, and Payment of Bills was approved.

Inspector’s ReportLarry Lanfear, inspector for the

Seawall Commission, submitted the following report.

Bay Front Park Groins: Most of the groins need additional rip-rap. Project is on hold until we find a source for the material. The handrail is damaged on the center East Bay Groin. We will

take care of it when we do the other handrail repairs.

South Bay Boat Ramp: Met with City and asked for property lines to be marked prior to starting the bollard replacement.

East Bay Groin: Area light is burn-ing during the day.

Fourth Street Pier: The East park-ing lot light and the flag light are not working. There are voids in the breaker that need to have blank plates inserted.

Groin West of Fourth St. Pier: The spot light is out.

South Bay Boat Ramp: The East parking lot light is not burning. The

Walls come crumbling down at former Luther Hotel motorcourt

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

Jobless rate drops under 6% in County

After a disastrous January of rising unemployment, Matagorda, and all sur-rounding counties saw their unemployment rates de-crease significantly in Feb-ruary. Texas and the U.S. also experienced declining unemployment during the month, making February

With no contested races for the City of Palacios, Pa-lacios Independent School District will be the lone entity on the May 4 ballot, with a three-way race for a seat at the board table and a $9-million bond initiative.

In the PISD Trustee race, incumbent in Pos. 3 Bran-don Bowers has a pair of challengers on the ticket in Karen Botbyl and Greg Dunn.

Early voting will begin

on Mon. (April 22) and run thru April 30. The poll for early voting will be open from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. on April 22-23; from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on April 24-26; and 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on April 29-30.

The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is April 3 (received, not postmarked).

Election Day polls on May 4 will be open from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Early voting begins Mon. for PISD Trustee,

$9-million bond

In what would amount to a five minute and 47-second meeting in open session last week, minus the 30 minutes behind closed doors in ex-ecutive session, last week’s Palacios City council meet-ing might have set a new land speed record.

ANASTASIA Nemes was just one of hudreds of Palacios area children who par-ticipated in the 8th annual Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by Fraternal Order of Eagles #3821 last Saturday. (Beacon Photo by Brandi G. West)

THE demolition of the long-ago motor-court at the historic Luther Hotel began last week. City of Pa-lacios Public Works Dept. has torn down the east side of the row and filled dump-sters with the debris, with the west side of the building awaiting its crumbled future. (Beacon Photos by Ryan West)

DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAYPage 2 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., April 17, 2019

CITY (Continued From Page 1)

Palacios Pride

Pick it uP

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

PALACIOS BEACON

Area BriefsPolice on trail of soda bandits

EL CAMPO: Arrests are imminent, officials say, as investigation into the theft of more than $100,000 in sodas from the El Campo Coca-Cola Bottling Com-pany continues. El Campo Police Detective Sgt. Jen-nifer Mican said it appeared to involve employees of the facility, but she did not say if there was one or more potential suspects. The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of El Campo has not released its employee numbers to local economic developers. No cash, vehicles or other items were taken over what may be a two-year time period or longer. “It was an ungodly amount,” Mican said. With an estimated $123,000 in product miss-ing, that’s possibly 302,508 cans or 25,209 12-packs. The detective said El Campo police believe the stolen drinks were sold throughout the time period. Recovery of any of the drinks, Mican said, is unlikely. - El Campo Leader-News

MEMBER FDIC

YOU FIRST | FFIN.com

RETIREMENT DAY FOR MARY VAN BORSSUM.Come celebrate with us as we see our friend and co-worker, Mary Van Borssum, retire after 8 years of service. Please join us at 459 Main St., Palacios, TX 77465 on Friday, April 26th from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm to offer well wishes.

Refreshments and cake will be served.

Mary Van BorssumVice President, Retail ManagerFirst Financial Bank - Palacios459 Main St., Palacios, TX 77465

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our

peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5

“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not

here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he

lay.”

Matthew 28:5-6

Sponsored By: The Trull Foundation

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

979-843-5730

April 17th - April 23rd

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.

Hamburger Patties $3.79/lb.

Pork S ausage $3.99/lb. Split Seasoned

Chickens $1.99/lb. Boudin Stuffed Jalapeno

Poppers 6 for $4.50

Easter Specials

2700 7th St. Bay City, TX

77414

(979) 245-2990

a unanimous positive for the labor force. However, Matagorda County saw the largest decline in its unem-ployment rate as it dipped under the six percent mark.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, in February 2019, unem-ployment rates decreased in 227 of the 254 coun-ties. Fourteen counties were unchanged over the month, while 13 coun-ties increased. Forty-eight counties had an unemploy-ment rate of 3.0 percent or

less, while the highest rate of 10.4 percent belonged to Starr County.

U.S., Texas, Matagorda and surrounding counties’ not seasonally adjusted un-employment rates for Feb-ruary 2019 are shown be-low, with January 2019 and percentage point change in parentheses. U.S.: 4.1 per-cent (4.4) (-0.3%) Texas: 3.9 percent (4.2) (-0.3%) Brazoria: 4.4 percent (4.8) (-0.4%) Calhoun: 3.5 per-cent (4.0) (-0.5%) Colo-rado: 3.6 percent (3.8) (-0.2%) Fort Bend: 3.9 per-cent (4.2) (-0.3%) Jackson: 3.4 percent (3.6) (-0.2%) Matagorda: 5.9 percent (6.5) (-0.6%) Wharton: 3.6 percent (3.9) (-0.3%).

JOBS (Continued From Page 1)

KAREN

PISD TruSTeePOS. 3

The following have paid to have their names listed as candidates for Pos. 3 on the Palacios ISD Board of Trustees. The cost for the Candidate Listing is $30. The cost for the candidate list-ing plus a one time candidate announcement article is $50. The deadline for inclusion in the Candidate Listing or to submit a candidate announcement article is 5 p.m. Friday.

BOTBYL[Pol. Adv. pd for by Joyce Norcross, Trea-surer, 262 Windswept Dr., Port Lavaca,

TX 77979]

CANDIDATELISTINGS

While no land speed re-cords were actually set during the meeting, the lone topic in and out of executive session was the evaluation of City Man-ager David Kocurek. After opening the meeting, Coun-cil retreated to their private chambers and emerged a half hour later in open ses-sion and commended Ko-curek for scoring higher on

this year’s review over last and for continuing to do a job well done.

The next meeting of the Palacios City Council will be held on April 23 at 7 p.m. at Council Chambers at City Hall.

Alapha donates to PVFD...

THE Alapha Club do-nated the proceeds from their yearly project to the Palacios Volunteer Fire Department, which is inching closer to their goal to build a new fire station. Pictured is Deb-bie Mosier, Alapha Club president, and Mike Hooper, Fire Chief. (Submitted Photo)

Easter Bunny high five’sPRIOR to the start of the egg hunt, the Easter Bunny himself made his way through the crowds of children, handing out high fives as he went. (Beacon Photo by Brandi G. West)

AS the temperatures begin to rise in the Lone Star State, motorists are urged to be cautious when tra-versing the miles and miles of roadway as the wan-dering drunken armadillos begin emerging from their dens in search of fermented grains. One un-lucky ‘little armored one’ had his days come to an end as the current trend of ‘Modelo Time’ led him to his final resting place on First Street. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West)

Only you can prevent drunken armadillo’s from being run over...

Palacios Beacon - Wed., April 17, 2019 - Page 3DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAY

When you want LOCAL news, sports & more -- choose the Palacios Beacon☛

SEAWALL (Continued From Page 1)

Sales Tax Holiday for Emergency Supplies next weekend

ARRESTSRogelio Romero, 55, Joaquin, TX,

was arrested in Joaquin, TX at 12:00 p.m. on Apr. 11 and transported to Pa-lacios on a local warrant.

INCIDENTSStriking Unattended Vehicle: Of-

ficer was dispatched to the intersection of Johnson and 2nd St. at 9:45 p.m. on Apr. 4 in reference to a motor vehicle in a drainage ditch.

Attempted Burglary of a Habita-tion: Officer took a report of Attempt-ed Burglary of a Habitation in the 300 block of Austin Ave at 2:32 a.m. on Apr. 20.

Failure to Identify: Officer arrived at the 1000 block of Ritchie Ave at 7:06 p.m. on Apr. 9 to follow up on a pos-sible Identity Theft/Failure to Identify.

Theft: Officer was dispatched to Ser-endipity RV Park at 2:30 p.m. on Apr. 10 in reference to a Theft:

Fraudulent Use or Possession of ID: Officer was dispatched to the Police De-

partment at 4:30 p.m. on Apr. 11 in ref-erence to an Identity Theft:

Request Advice: Officers were re-quested to speak with a complainant in the lobby at 6:41 p.m. on Apr. 11 in ref-erence to an advice request.

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

Do you know or have any idea what your child is doing on their cell phone? As a responsible parent, you might want to periodi-cally check.

The first annual La Belle Day on the Bay will be sailing into the City by the Sea on Saturday, April 27, sponsored by CenterPoint Energy, with proceeds ben-efiting the City by the Sea Museum.

From 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. come board the 1/2 scale replica of famed French ex-plorer Rene-Robert Cava-lier, Sieur de La Salle’s ship LaBelle, La Petite Belle for

$1, and get a printed photo on board for $5.

A bar-b-que lunch will be served up from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. for $10 per plate, along with a silent auction from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

At 2 p.m., Ruth Davis presents “Thirteen Rivers, the Last Voyage of LaBelle.

A magic show featuring Scott Hollingsworth is set to take the stage at 4 p.m., with admission $10 for

adults, $5 for students or $20 per family.

Don’t miss out on the all day beer garden and live music entertainment, be-ginning at 11 a.m with the Shiner Hobo Band, Byrd and Street at 1:30 p.m., fol-lowed by Heath Spencer Phillips at 4 p.m.

For more information call 972-1148.

First annual La Belle Day on the Bay sails into Palacios next Saturday

CITY WIDE SPRING CLEAN UP!

Sponsored by the City of Palaciosand Waste Connections

Saturday, April 27th

8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.6th Street and Commerce

One-Day Clean Upfor City of Palacios Residents Only

1. Bring a City of Palacios water bill and picture ID. These must be presented before off-loading.City employees will help unloading. Residents will be asked to sign an authorization sheet and fees will be added to water bill. 2. Items will be charged to water bill: Fee for Electronic Material 50¢ a pound/ weighed on site Fees for Tires: $3.00 per regular tire $10.00 for regular tires with rim $12.00 for tires over 20 inches $25.00 for tires over 20 inches with rim 3. Residents may sign a charge authorization sheet and fees will be added to their utility bill.

There will be NO CHARGE to residents for junk, trash, old furniture and appliances.

No Hazardous material will be accepted. (No paint, oil, chemicals)

Help make our beautifulcity sparkle!

Fees for Refrigerators or Air Condtioners$20

CITY WIDE SPRING CLEAN UP!

La Ciudad de Palacios y Waste Connections

OFRECEN LIMPIEZA DE PRIMAVERA

Para los recidentes de Palacios solamente

Sabado – 27 de Abril8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.Calle 6 y Commerce

No habrá ningún cargo a los residentes por basura, muebles viejos y electrodomésticos.No se recibira pinturas, aceite o quimicos.

Con su ayuda hacemosnuestra ciudad mas

hermosa!

1. Se requiere identificacion con foto, y una copia del recibo de utilidad de agua de la Ciudad de Palacios. Los empleados de la Ciudad de Palacios le ayudaran a descargar.2. Tarifas para materiales electrónicos 50 ¢ por libra

Lista de Llantas: Llanta (regulares) -- $ 3.00

Llantas (regulares) con rines -- $ 10.00 Llantas mas de 16 pulgadas -- $12.00

Llantas mas de 16 pulgadas con rines -- $ 25.00Refrigeradores y aire acondicondicionados $20

3. Los residents tienen que firmar una autorizacion de precio y cuenta de utilidad de agua.

(AUSTIN) — With the potential for se-vere weather approaching, Texas Comp-troller Glenn Hegar reminds Texans they can purchase certain items tax-free during the state’s sales tax holiday for emergency preparation supplies, which occurs April 27-29.

“While we can’t know in advance when the next flood, tornado or hurricane may strike, we can make sure our families, homes and businesses have the supplies they need to face these and other emergen-cies,” Hegar said. “This tax holiday can help Texans save money while stocking up for emergency situations. Don’t wait for disaster to strike. Take the time now to get prepared.”

The Comptroller’s of-fice estimates shoppers will save more than $1.6 mil-lion in state and local sales taxes during the tax holiday, which was approved by the Texas Legislature in 2015.

There's no limit on the number of qualifying items you can purchase. These in-clude:

• household batteries, fuel containers and flashlights priced at less than $75;

• hurricane shutters and emergency ladders priced at less than $300; and

• portable generators priced at less than $3,000.

Delivery, shipping, han-dling and transportation charges are considered part of the sales price when de-termining taxability. If the emergency preparation sup-ply being purchased is tax-able, the delivery charge is also taxable. Shoppers should consider the total price for an item when de-

termining whether an emergency prepara-tion supply can be purchased tax-free dur-ing the holiday.

Purchases that do not qualify include:• batteries for automobiles, boats and

other motorized vehicles;• camping stoves and camping supplies; • chainsaws;• plywood;• extension ladders and stepladders; and• tents.A list of emergency preparation supplies

that may be purchased tax-free can be found on the Comptroller’s website.

Sunday, April 21 6:30 a.m.

Texas Baptist Encampment AmphitheaterAlternate place if raining: Thibodeaux Building

Corner of Main and East Bay Blvd.

West parking lot light is burning during the day.

Bay Front Playgrounds: The swings at East Bay and South Bay Parks have been replaced. Area under the East Bay Swing

Set needs worn spots filled. The mats to be placed under the swings to prevent wear have been received.

McGlothlin St. Bag Wall: Rhoades Land Leveling has started the Bag Wall Replace-

ment and the job is pro-gressing well.

Bay Front Walkway: AEP has acknowledged the light-ing repair request and are waiting for the area to dry out enough to access the lights. AEP has not made any progress on the light repairs.

Collegeport Wood Bulk-head: Hickl Maintainer Service has received the materials needed to repair the burned wall but has not started the repairs.

Note: America Electric has been notified of the lighting outages.

Next MeetingThe next monthly meet-

ing of the Matagorda Coun-ty - Palacios Seawall Com-mission will be at 7 p.m. on May 8 at the Port of Pala-cios Administration Build-ing.

This Week in Texas HistoryApr. 17, 1871: The

state legislature approved a bill providing for the organization of the Texas Agricultural and Me-chanical College (now Texas A&M) Univer-sity) and appropriating $75,000 for the construc-tion of academic build-ings and suitable accom-modations.

Apr. 18, 1897: In an attempt to jump-start the town, S.E. Hayden, a cot-ton buyer in the small Wise County commu-nity of Aurora, released a fictional “news” story describing the crash of a mysterious airship just outside of town.

Apr. 19, 1875: Kiowa

chief White Horse (Tsen-tainte) and a group of followers surrendered at Fort Sill, Indian Territory.

Apr. 20, 1928: Felix Huston Robertson, the last Confederate general, died in Waco.

Apr. 21, 1942: The first group of internees — 456 Germans, 156 Japanese, and 14 Italians — arrived at the Kenedy Alien De-tention Camp on the out-skirts of Kenedy, Texas.

Apr. 22, 1873: The state legislature repealed the law authorizing the State Police.

Apr. 23, 1936: Rock and Roll singer Roy Or-bison was born in Ver-non, Texas.

DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAYPage 4 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., April 17, 2019

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

Opinions or views expressed by individual columnists or in Letters to the Editor are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper. Also, while The Palacios Beacon strives for accuracy, errors may occur, and will be promptly corrected once they are brought to the attention of the editor.

Have An Opinion? Share Your Views. WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR MAIL TO: The Palacios Beacon, P.O. Box 817, Palacios, TX 77465 or Bring in to the office at 809 First Street or Email Ryan at palaciosbeacon@gmail.com

310 Fifth St.