Nate McDonald Recipient of

Wilbur R. Dunk AwardSee Page 3 See Page 12

Sharks MakePirates Walk

The Plan

WEDNESDAYOCT. 7, 2020VOL. 113 • NO. 39

BEACONBRIEFS

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

(361) 972-3009palaciosbeacon@gmail.com

Website: palaciosbeacon.com

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World Published Just For The Palacios Area.

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TEXAS

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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

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

(See SALES, Page 4)

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

PalaciosPalaciosBEACONBEACON$1.00

Early voting begins Tues.

(See OYSTERS, Page 5)

See Page 2

Gratitude Project

Gets Books

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

Trump Boat Parade rides into town....

Texas oyster farming outlook good for 2021 and beyond

Palacios sales tax rebates up 5%

County jobless rate fell below 10% in Aug.

Pieces coming together for sustainable production along the Gulf Coast

■ Outrigger Outdoor Stage hosts Broken Spokes Sat.

The Outrigger Out-door Stage, located at 6th St. & Commerce in Palacios, presents Broken Spokes on Sat. (Oct. 10) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30. Food and on-site bar opens at 6 p.m. For more info or for reservations call, 361-920-6513.

While 2020 has presented more than its fair share of challenges for most industries, experts from Texas A&M AgriLife and other institutions supporting the fledgling oyster farming industry along the Texas Gulf Coast are optimistic about the industry’s outlook for 2021 and beyond.

Setting the stage for oyster farming in Texas

Oyster aquaculture is a $200 million-plus

industry in the U.S., but Texas was the last coastal state in the nation to allow commer-cial oyster aquaculture. It was the passage of two bills by the state legislature last year that made commercial oyster aquaculture a real possibility for Texas.

The bills became law in September 2019. Since then, the Texas Parks and Wildlife De-partment has developed the rules and regula-tions related to oyster aquaculture in Texas.

“One sure indication of the interest in and optimism for the industry is that sev-

BY PAUL SCHATTENBERG Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agentpaschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu

The Texas Marine Education Center in Palacios currently leased by the Ed Rachal Foun-dation and being developed by Palacios Marine Agriculture Research as a marine re-search facility for various species. The first project will be an oyster hatchery for conser-vation and aquaculture purposes to be managed by the Harte Research Institute.

In August, eight of thirteen area cities, including Pala-cios, received more in sales tax rebates than in the same month in 2019, while nine received more in their year-to-date rebates compared to 2019.

Several cities were down by a large amount compared to the same month in 2019. Ganado’s rebate amount was down by over 34 percent, Port Lavaca saw an over 27 percent decrease, and Whar-ton’s rebate amount was down by nearly 31 percent.

On the other side of the coin, Bay City saw a 28+ per-cent increase in its monthly rebate amount compared to the same month in 2019 and Sweeny’s year-to-date rebate amount was up by over 33 percent.

Locally, Palacios was up over 5 percent in Aug. of 2020 and is near 4.5 percent

Down from 8.2 percent in July, the re-covering Texas unemployment rate was 7.0 percent in August, which is still 3.3 percent-age points higher than the unemployment rate in August 2019.

That figure ranks Texas third among the nation’s 10 largest states, behind Georgia and North Carolina. New York remains at the bottom of the list of the 10 largest states with an unemployment rate of nearly 13 percent.The U.S. reduced its unemploy-

ment rate over the month by two percentage points to 8.5 percent.

All area counties saw their unemploy-ment rates fall in August by around one per-cent, the lowest being Calhoun, Colorado, and Jackson with rates under six percent, while Matagorda County slipped under the 10 percent mark with a decrease of 1.6 per-cent.

According to the Texas Workforce Com-mission, ten counties had an unemployment rate of 3.0 percent or less in August, while

Being held at the Port of Palacios Administration Building

(See JOBS, Page 2)

THS Homecoming Royalty...CROWNED Tidehaven High School Homecoming King & Queen were John “Keagan” Carillo and Jazlyn Caroth-ers. (Photo courtesy the Bay City Sentinel)

THE Matagorda County Republican Party sponsored a Trump Boat Parade on the water of Tres Palacios Bay last Saturday (Oct. 3). Spectators lined the bayfront as dozens of vessels dotted the waters of Palacios’ East and South Bay. The landbased headquarters of the event was at the Palacios Pavilion, along with vendors and live music. Fortuantely, President Trumps condition improved after a last week’s positive COVID result, and the parade wasn’t transformed into a wake. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West)

■ FOEC hosts Creole & Rice Dinner Sun.

The Friends of El-der Citizens will hold a Creole & Rice din-ner fundraiser on Sun. (Oct. 11) begining at 11 a.m. until sold out. Plates are $10 and available via drive-thru only.

■ Palacios Area Historical Assn. to hold annual meeting Tues.

Palacios Area His-torical Association will hold its annual meeting on on Tues. (Oct. 13) at 6 p.m. New board members will be intro-duced, along with dis-cussing PAHA updates, and having a presenta-tion about endowment securities by Edward Jones Rep., Robby Wil-liams.

Please make plans to attend and bring your favorite dessert.

In what is sure to be remembered as an election for the ages, early voting begins for the November General Election on Tues. (Oct. 13).

All early voting in Palacios will be done at the Port of Palacios - Matagorda County Navigation District Administration building, located at 1602 Main St. 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. (Oct. 13) and run thru Oct. 30, only on weekdays from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., and on Thursday’s, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

From the battle for the highest office in the land, to State of Texas officials on down to the Palacios City Council and Palacios ISD Trustee races, there is much to be decided in

this year’s election cycle.Don’t let someone else speak for you at the

polls.In the local races, there are just three con-

tested.The three candidate field of Carol Ferdi-

nand, Larry Glenn and Sharon Trainor vie for Pos. 1 on the Palacios City Council.

On the Palacios ISD Trustee side of the bal-lot, Karen Botbyl and Ron Laws go head-to-head for Trustee Pos. 5, and its a three-horse race for Pos. 4, featuring Brian Busby, Jason Miller and Tom Warner.

Stand up, make your voice heard and head to the voting booth.

It’s 2020 for gosh sake, what could go wrong if you let someone else decide for you?

DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAYPage 2 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., October 7, 2020

JOBS (Continued From Page 1)

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

Harvest Moon Dinner & Auction next weekTraditionally, the Harvest

Moon is a Dinner and Dance hosted by the Friends of the Library for Century Club Members to thank them for the support that their spon-sorships give to our library. The funds raised by Century 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 vital piece, the Palacios Li-brary would not be able to hire high schoolers to offer free tutoring for children af-ter school, purchase supplies 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 individuals who are dedicated to helping the Pa-lacios 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 generosity of these individuals, two tickets to the traditional Harvest Moon Dinner and Dance are grant-ed each year. The dinner is normally held at the Palacios Recreation Center in Octo-ber, 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 everyone every-where for a loop of massive proportions. The Palacios Li-brary has adapted the Home-work Program at the library to have fewer children come at different times to continue our work with them after school. Now, more than ever, it is important to support our students, parents, and teach-ers. During the lock down of this summer, the Palacios Library created weekly Sum-mer reading packets for the kids which we distributed for them to take home and com-plete the activities and crafts. Over 169 children participat-ed in our Summer Reading Program and our homework program helped an average of 60 children each day, be-fore the social distancing mandate. In previous years, we have helped an average of 10% of the local school student body throughout 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 participating in this year’s online 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.

THE books have arrived for Gratitude Project Great Children's Book Giveaway in partnership with First Book. The Giveaway will be on October 17th. See next Beacon for the flier with details. Volunteers pictured are: (left to right) Patricia and Don Loving, Vikijane Mosier, David King, Troy Lewis, Andrew Bates, Janice Calderon, Ryan Lee and Cynthia Garrett. Not pictured is Troy Lewis lll. (Submitted Photo)

Gratitude Projects to hold Great Children’s Book Givaway next Sat.

unemployment rates de-creased over the month in all counties. Starr County had the highest unemployment rate of 15.7 percent.

U.S., Texas, Matagorda and surrounding counties’ not seasonally adjusted un-employment rates for Au-gust 2020 are shown below, with July 2020 and percent-age point change in paren-

theses. U.S.: 8.5 percent (10.5) (-2.0%) Texas: 7.0 percent (8.2) (-1.2%) Brazo-ria: 7.9 percent (9.1) (-1.2%) Calhoun: 5.4 percent (6.2) (-0.8%) Colorado: 5.2 per-cent (6.1) (-0.9%) Fort Bend: 7.2 percent (8.4) (-1.2%) Jackson: 5.4 percent (6.6) (-1.2%) Matagorda: 9.7 per-cent (11.3) (-1.6%) Wharton: 6.3 percent (7.4) (-1.1%).

Tex-Mex House Leveling & Remodeling

All Types of Foundation & Remodeling

Call your LOCAl company for a FREE ESTIMATE

361-703-0759Se Habla Espanol

Friends of the Elder Citizens705 Commerce, PalaciosDRIVE THRU ONLY

$10 per plateIncludes: 16 oz cup of rice, creole,

crackers and dessert

Creole and Rice Dinner Sunday, Oct. 11th

11 a.m.- Sold Out

Proceeds to help with the Friends of Elder Citizens

in Matagorda County. Program services include: Nutrition, Transportation,

and Socialization.

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

• Restoration Quality Work

• Insurance Claims Welcomed

Collision Repair Specialist

• Towing

Palacios Beacon - Wed., October 7, 2020 - Page 3DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAY

ARRESTSAlex L Rojas, 29, 316 E. Tres Palacios

Ave, was arrested in the 400 block of E. Henderson Ave at 3:09 a.m. on Sept. 26. Warrant Service Out of County.

Argelio Yanez, 29, 1010 Rorem Ave, was arrested in the 1000 block of Rorem Ave at 3:20 a.m. on Sept. 27. Driving While Intoxicated.

Andres Landin Hernandez, 44, 408 Morton Ave, was arrested in the 400 block of Commerce Ave at 2:53 a.m. on Sept. 28. Public Intoxication.

David Sandoval Jr., 51, 215 Rorem Ave, was arrested in the 1500 block of 1st St. at 5:02 a.m. on Oct. 1. Warrant Ser-vice Capias.

INCIDENTSMental Health: Officers were dis-

patched to the 300 block of Koontz Ave at 7:00 a.m. on Sept. 27 in reference to a 60-year-old male trespassing on private property wearing only a t-shirt and no pants.

Concerned Citizen: Officers were dis-patched to the 1000 block of Morton Ave at 12:45 p.m. on Sept. 28 in reference to two children on complainant’s property

(unknown where the children came from).Theft of Services: Officers were dis-

patched to the 300 block of Tres Palacios Ave at 4:05 p.m. on Sept. 28 in reference to a Theft.

Indecency With a Child Exposes: Of-ficer was dispatched to the 200 block of Perryman Ave at 10:45 a.m. in reference to information.

Child Unsupervised/CPS Referral: Officer was dispatched to several locations in Palacios in reference to an unwanted subject.

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

Because of CO-VID-19, I have put the National Night Out festival that we generally have the first week of Octo-ber, off until a later time.

2700 7th St. Bay City, TX

77414

(979) 245-2990 LARRY

CITY COUNCILPLACE 1

The following have paid to have their names listed as candidates for Palacios City Council in the Nov. 3 General Election. The cost for the Candidate Listing is $30. The cost for the candidate listing 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.

GLENN[Pol. Adv. pd for by Larry Glenn, Treasurer,

201 Beecher. Ave, 77465]

CANDIDATELISTINGS

The Honorable Judge Nate McDonald of Matago-rda County has received the Wilbur R. Dunk Award for Regional Leadership by the Texas Association of Re-gional Councils in recogni-tion of his dedication to fos-tering regional cooperation through councils of govern-ment.He was nominated by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), where he has served on the board of directors since 2007 and as chair in 2016. The award was presented to McDonald at the association’s board of directors meeting on Fri-day, Sept. 18. McDonald has served as Matagorda County judge for 14 years. During his tenure,he has been a strong advocate for the county and the Houston-Galveston region’s economic and workforce development. He helped to bring a Whar-ton County Junior College campus to Bay City, and he was instrumental in attract-ing global pipe manufac-turer Tenaris to build a new $1.8-billion facility in the region. He also serves on the Matagorda County Eco-nomic Development Cor-poration board. “Our key strengths in this region are our diversity of place, peo-ple, opportunities,and natu-ral and manmade assets,” said McDonald.“We are the living and breathing embodi-ment of the American ideal, that anyone can accomplish great things through com-mitment, education,and hard work.”McDonald has also played a key role in coordi-nating regional emergency response efforts and promot-ing disaster preparedness.He helped secure crucial re-covery funds for Hurricanes Ike and Harvey, and he has pushed heavily for creating a region-wide drainage plan that would help mitigate flooding from future storms. As H-GAC board chair, he approved the creation of the Gulf Coast Regional 9-1-1 Emergency Communica-tions District, which mod-

ernized and enhanced funding for the region’s emergency communica-tions infrastructure.“Judge McDonald has shown exemplary leadership in fostering cooperation be-tween local governments and promoting the welfare of the Houston-Galveston region and the more than 7 million people who live and work here,” said Chuck Wemple, execu-tive director of H-GAC. Judge McDonald exempli-fies what a leader should be. He has been my advi-sor and cheerleader at H-GAC and now at the Texas Association of Regional Councils,” said Nancy Ar-nold, chair of the H-GAC board of directors and City of Waller council member. “It’s been my privilege to serve with him on several committees, where he’s al-ways demonstrated insight and knowledge.” Every year at its fall annual meeting, the Texas Association of Re-gional Councils recognizes leaders, elected officials, and staff for exceptional service in strengthening, unifying, and partnering with coun-cils of government in Texas. The Wilbur R. Dunk Award is presented to an elected official who has shown ex-traordinary dedication to the purposes and possibilities for regional cooperation through councils of government.Mc-

Donald joined the Texas As-sociation of Regional Coun-cils board of directors in 2014 and served as president in 2018.

“Judge Nate McDonald has been a dedicated board member, officer, and past president ofour organization-for much of my career,” said Ginny Lewis Ford, executive director of the Texas Asso-ciation of Regional Coun-cils. “Not only is he capable in these roles, but he is also a compassionate and car-ing person. I am so proud to work with a man of his char-acter.”

Our two exhibits, Palacios Women’s Achievements and Rightfully Hers are still on display until November 6th. Our PAHA Annual Meeting is on Tuesday, October 13th at 6 p.m., so make plans to see the unveiling of the new Karankawa murals and meet the artist, Elijah Caldwell. Also, we will be updating the members about the latest association news and hearing from Edward Jones Financial Advisor, Robby Williams. Please bring your fa-vorite dessert.

The Guy and Colleen Claybourn Symposium, “Footprints on the Bay” part-2 with Myra McIlvain is cancelled for October 17th. Hope to see you all at the 3rd part of the series on November 14th with Da-vid Aparicio.

City by the Sea Museum is having a Cake Walk Fundraiser on October 31st starting at 4 p.m. The proceeds from this will go towards purchasing a format printer, which will be for creating future exhibit panels. If you are interested in donating a dessert, please con-tact the museum at (361)972-1148 or at mu-seumpalacios@gmail.com. We will also be giving out candy any trick or treaters in the neighborhood. There will be a raffle for $5 a

ticket, so buy a ticket with a chance to win a prize from Krystal’s Confection, Mad Batter Cheesecake, or Dylan’s Cheesecake. Tickets will go on sale October 13th and can be pur-chase on Tuesday-Friday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the museum on 401 Commerce Street.

City by the Sea Museum is currently seek-ing volunteers. We are looking for volunteers to help scan, sort, and organize photos. Vol-unteers can also help with tours, operating the gift shop, research, and transcribing oral histories. Volunteer hours are at your conve-nience. You must be 16 and up to volunteer at the museum. If you are interested in volun-teering, stop by the museum.

Happenings at the City by the Sea Museum

McDonald recipient of Wilbur R. Dunk Award for Regional Leadership by TARC

DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAYPage 4 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., October 7, 2020

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