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PAGE 2 Special Event To Benefit Those Looking For A Helping Hand SEE PAGE 8 WEDNESDAY JAN. 17, 2018 VOL. 111 • NO. 3 BEACON BRIEFS P. O. Box 817 • 809 First Street Palacios, Tx. 77465 (361) 972-3009/Fax 972-2610 E-Mail: [email protected] Website: palaciosbeacon.com The Only Newspaper In The World Published Just For The Palacios Area. PALACIOS TEXAS th 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 111 Year 1907-2018 • Beacon Deadline 5 p.m. Fri. For Articles, Advertising & 11 a.m. Mon. For Classifieds • SUBSCRIBE TO THE PALACIOS BEACON $30 A YEAR IN COUNTY $40 A YEAR OUT-OF COUNTY P ALACIOS P RIDE PICK IT UP Palacios Beacon • A Member Of • Texas Press Association South Texas Press Association Texas Gulf Coast Press Association ‘Like’ the Palacios Beacon on facebook (See ABOLISH, Page 3) Palacios Palacios BEACON BEACON Proudly Serving The City By The Sea Since 1907 USPS 418460 1 SectiON, 12 PAGES BY ALAN C. SCHULMAN Palacios Beacon - Reporter Three vehicle crash sends man to hospital BY RYAN WEST Palacios Beacon-Publisher Council questioned by citizens on street repair plans in 2018; approve pact with County to put $100K towards new fire station SEE PAGE 12 Sharks Roll To Big Win Over Tigers The Palacios Medical Clinic, located at 3067 Green Ave., will hold a free leg screening from 3 - 7 p.m. on Thurs. (Jan. 18). Dr. Donald Frame, M.D., will conducting the screening to help di- agnoses and treat any leg problems you may be ex- periencing. Stop by for your free leg screening. Palacios Med. Clinic hosts free leg screening Thurs. BY ALAN C. SCHULMAN Palacios Beacon - Reporter Filing begins today for City, PISD elections Mikes On Main Receives PEDC Grant PISD looking to save money by going energy-efficient (See PISD, Page 3) (See FILING, Page 2) ONE man was injured in a three vehicle wreck on Jan. 9 at the intersection of Hwy. 35 and FM 2853, north of Palacios. The driver of the blue pick-up, Kevin Davis of Palacios was taken by ambulance before being Life- flighted to Houston with a head injury. Neither the driver of the white pick- up, nor silver Honda were seriously in- jured. The cause of the accident was still under investigation. (Beacon Photos by Ryan West) There comes a time in the lifespan of every building and mechanical system when the decision must be made whether the cost to upgrade, with the promise of long term savings, outweighs standing pat with aging equipment that is so inefficient it’s like throwing money down a hole in the ground. Times have been tough for Palacios ISD since Texas’ recent decision to reduce funding to school districts through its non-renewal of ASATR funding, however, prudent management of fi- nancial resources requires Last week’s City Council Regular Meeting kicked off with a pair of local residents ques- tioning the City’s plans for street repair. Larry Glen asked for a specific schedule of streets to be repaired, and received a reply from City Manager David Kocurek that repair efforts will be undertaken in 2018, but there is no schedule as of now. Patricia Loving made her regular appear- ance and spoke specifically about Harrison Ave, which she stated has been targeted for repair since 2009, and asked that a repair schedule be formulated. Fire Department The Palacios Volunteer Fire Dept.’s dream of a new fire station took another step forward with a $100,000 contribution towards the fa- cility coming as Council approved an Interlo- cal Agreeement between Matagorda County and the City. Administrative Reports City Manager David Kocurek reported that the substantial completion date for the Pavil- ion remains the end of January, 2018, but fur- nishing and parking lot completion will push the start-up date to the end of February or the beginning of March. Kocurek also stated that the Downtown Revitalization Grant has been scored and is being reviewed. Despite the optimism Mayor Glen Smith noted, “We’re not going to pop the cham- pagne yet on that one.” Approved Items The Interlocal Agreement between Matago- rda County and the City of Palacios regarding The Palacios Pavilion Parking Lot (contribu- tion from Matagorda County for $50,000), Resolution 2018-R-01 for Improvements to the Palacios Municipal Airport (PSX) with financial assistance from the Texas Depart- ment of Transportation ($620,150) with a 10 percent match by the City of Palacios) were all approved. Also approved were the proposed Charter Amendments recommended by the Charter Review Committee, but deleted by Council was an amendment to Section 4.01 to remove a requirement that the City Manager shall reside within the city limits, and Ordinance 2018-O-01 granting an increase in the Munic- ipal Judge’s Salary to $32,000 a year and the Those looking to make a difference in either the City of Palacios or at the Palacios Independent School District will have their opportunity to put their name on the line, as the filing period for the local City Council and Pala- cios ISD Trustee began today (Jan. 18) for the elections to be held May 5. A trio of Palacios City Council members are up for As we enter the new year, Congressional approval ratings by party remain at historical- ly low levels. Democrats at 13% and Repub- licans at 28% according to the current Gallup Poll. To quote the great Philosopher Yogi Berra “slump, I ain’t in no slump, I just ain’t hit- ting”. Congress just ain’t hitting and unfor- tunately the same can now be said about our Texas Legislature and for the same reasons. We are a divided Nation. But that is nothing new. In fact it has always been an enviable strength. It was estimated that at least 30% of the eligible voters in 1787, when the Consti- tution was ratified, were opposed to the very creation of the United States of America. But thankfully we had strong leaders who were willing to compromise on their own strongly held beliefs for the greater good. Today com- promise means an opponent in your next pri- mary. And minimum action for the greater good of our Country. Again borrowing heavily from the wisdom of Yogi, “I tell the kids somebody’s gotta win, and somebody’s gotta lose, just don’t fight about it, just try to get better”. It is hard to get better politically and legislatively in Texas when most of our races in 2018 will most likely be decided again in the primaries. That means the 28% and 13% will continue to prevail and the 59% who do worry about our Nations debt, struggling education and healthcare systems, disappearance of middle America, and collapsing infrastructure sys- tems will just have to wait another 2 years for a solution. The next Congress will be no bet- ter than the current one. Adverse to work(144 days in session) 124 scheduled for 2018, more time spent while in session raising ob- scene amounts of money for the next election, and absolutely keeping their base (28% and 13%) happy because that’s who will vote for them in March. Fortunately for all Texas voters in 2018 there is a constructive place to begin. And with at least 8 new members from Texas this year now is the time. Let’s make this a simple political issue for every candidate. And every one of us can get involved very easily and very positively. I suggest a bill to be offered in the first days of the legislative session be- ginning January 2019 that creates a Non-Par- tisan Commission on Redistricting, patterned after the States of Iowa and Arizona that will take effect in the 2020 elections and beyond. The non-partisan Commission will attempt to follow the following criteria. 1. That they are in compliance with the Constitution of the United States and the voting rights act 2. That they are roughly equal in population 3. That they appear compact and contigu- ous 4. Communities of interest are respected 5. And that they incorporate visible geo- graphic features, town, city, and county boundaries and undivided cen- sus tracts. 6. And they are electorally competitive so long as the aforementioned criteria are satis- fied. Specifically the Commission must start from scratch and cannot consider the resi- dence of incumbents, candidates, or party voting patterns. For all voters the question to ask those who ask for our vote for State Represenative or Senator is, will you co-sponsor, and vote for such a bill. If not why not? To those who want to be our representatives in Congress will you support that legislation in the Legislature. If not why not? Same question for those who are running for all Statewide offices. Courtesy Charlie Stenholm [email protected] Abolish Gerrymandering Pierce awarded Texas Historical Commission Leadership Award ONA Lea Pierce of Blessing was awarded the Texas Historical Commission’s John Ben Shep- perd County Historical Com- mission Leader- ship Award at the 2017 Texas His- torical Commis- ion Awards Ban- quet. Pierce has been a member of the Matagorda County Histori- cal Foundation since 1967 and served as chair- man from 2001- 2017. (See CITY, Page 2)

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PAGE 2

Special Event To Benefit Those Looking

For A Helping HandSEE PAGE 8

WEDNESDAYJAN. 17, 2018

VOL. 111 • NO. 3

BEACONBRIEFS

P. O. Box 817 • 809 First StreetPalacios, Tx. 77465

(361) 972-3009/Fax 972-2610E-Mail: [email protected]

Website: palaciosbeacon.com

The OnlyNewspaper In The

World Published Just For The Palacios Area.

PALACIOS

TEXAS

th

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 •

SUBSCRIBETO THE

PALACIOSBEACON$30 A YEARIN COUNTY$40 A YEAR

OUT-OF COUNTY

Palacios Pride

Pick it uP

Palacios Beacon• A Member Of •

Texas Press AssociationSouth Texas Press Association

Texas Gulf Coast Press Association

‘Like’ the Palacios Beacon onfacebook

(See ABOLISH, Page 3)

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

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

Three vehicle crash sends man to hospital BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

Council questioned by citizens on street repair plans in 2018; approve pact with County to put $100K towards new fire station

SEE PAGE 12

Sharks RollTo Big Win

Over Tigers

The Palacios Medical Clinic, located at 3067 Green Ave., will hold a free leg screening from 3 - 7 p.m. on Thurs. (Jan. 18). Dr. Donald Frame, M.D., will conducting the screening to help di-agnoses and treat any leg problems you may be ex-periencing. Stop by for your free leg screening.

■ Palacios Med. Clinic hosts free leg screening Thurs.

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

F i l i n g b e g i n s today for City, PISD elections

Mikes On Main Receives

PEDC Grant

PISD looking to save money by going energy-efficient

(See PISD, Page 3)

(See FILING, Page 2)

ONE man was injured in a three vehicle wreck on Jan. 9 at the intersection of Hwy. 35 and FM 2853, north of

Palacios. The driver of the blue pick-up, Kevin Davis of Palacios was taken by ambulance before being Life-

flighted to Houston with a head injury. Neither the driver of the white pick-up, nor silver Honda were seriously in-jured. The cause of the accident was still under investigation. (Beacon Photos by Ryan West)

There comes a time in the lifespan of every building and mechanical system when the decision must be made whether the cost to upgrade, with the promise of long term savings, outweighs standing pat with aging equipment that is so inefficient it’s like

throwing money down a hole in the ground.

Times have been tough for Palacios ISD since Texas’ recent decision to reduce funding to school districts through its non-renewal of ASATR funding, however, prudent management of fi-nancial resources requires

Last week’s City Council Regular Meeting kicked off with a pair of local residents ques-tioning the City’s plans for street repair.

Larry Glen asked for a specific schedule of streets to be repaired, and received a reply from City Manager David Kocurek that repair efforts will be undertaken in 2018, but there is no schedule as of now.

Patricia Loving made her regular appear-ance and spoke specifically about Harrison Ave, which she stated has been targeted for

repair since 2009, and asked that a repair schedule be formulated.

Fire DepartmentThe Palacios Volunteer Fire Dept.’s dream

of a new fire station took another step forward with a $100,000 contribution towards the fa-cility coming as Council approved an Interlo-cal Agreeement between Matagorda County and the City.

Administrative ReportsCity Manager David Kocurek reported that

the substantial completion date for the Pavil-ion remains the end of January, 2018, but fur-nishing and parking lot completion will push

the start-up date to the end of February or the beginning of March. Kocurek also stated that the Downtown Revitalization Grant has been scored and is being reviewed.

Despite the optimism Mayor Glen Smith noted, “We’re not going to pop the cham-pagne yet on that one.”

Approved ItemsThe Interlocal Agreement between Matago-

rda County and the City of Palacios regarding The Palacios Pavilion Parking Lot (contribu-tion from Matagorda County for $50,000), Resolution 2018-R-01 for Improvements to the Palacios Municipal Airport (PSX) with

financial assistance from the Texas Depart-ment of Transportation ($620,150) with a 10 percent match by the City of Palacios) were all approved.

Also approved were the proposed Charter Amendments recommended by the Charter Review Committee, but deleted by Council was an amendment to Section 4.01 to remove a requirement that the City Manager shall reside within the city limits, and Ordinance 2018-O-01 granting an increase in the Munic-ipal Judge’s Salary to $32,000 a year and the

Those looking to make a difference in either the City of Palacios or at the Palacios Independent School District will have their opportunity to put their name on the line, as the filing period for the local City Council and Pala-cios ISD Trustee began today (Jan. 18) for the elections to be held May 5.

A trio of Palacios City Council members are up for

As we enter the new year, Congressional approval ratings by party remain at historical-ly low levels. Democrats at 13% and Repub-licans at 28% according to the current Gallup Poll.

To quote the great Philosopher Yogi Berra “slump, I ain’t in no slump, I just ain’t hit-ting”. Congress just ain’t hitting and unfor-tunately the same can now be said about our Texas Legislature and for the same reasons.

We are a divided Nation. But that is nothing new. In fact it has always been an enviable strength. It was estimated that at least 30% of the eligible voters in 1787, when the Consti-tution was ratified, were opposed to the very creation of the United States of America. But thankfully we had strong leaders who were willing to compromise on their own strongly held beliefs for the greater good. Today com-promise means an opponent in your next pri-mary. And minimum action for the greater good of our Country.

Again borrowing heavily from the wisdom of Yogi, “I tell the kids somebody’s gotta win, and somebody’s gotta lose, just don’t fight about it, just try to get better”. It is hard to get better politically and legislatively in Texas when most of our races in 2018 will most likely be decided again in the primaries. That means the 28% and 13% will continue to prevail and the 59% who do worry about our Nations debt, struggling education and healthcare systems, disappearance of middle America, and collapsing infrastructure sys-tems will just have to wait another 2 years for a solution. The next Congress will be no bet-ter than the current one. Adverse to work(144 days in session) 124 scheduled for 2018, more time spent while in session raising ob-scene amounts of money for the next election, and absolutely keeping their base (28% and

13%) happy because that’s who will vote for them in March.

Fortunately for all Texas voters in 2018 there is a constructive place to begin. And with at least 8 new members from Texas this year now is the time. Let’s make this a simple political issue for every candidate. And every one of us can get involved very easily and very positively. I suggest a bill to be offered in the first days of the legislative session be-ginning January 2019 that creates a Non-Par-tisan Commission on Redistricting, patterned after the States of Iowa and Arizona that will take effect in the 2020 elections and beyond.

The non-partisan Commission will attempt to follow the following criteria.

1. That they are in compliance with the Constitution of the United

States and the voting rights act2. That they are roughly equal in population3. That they appear compact and contigu-

ous4. Communities of interest are respected5. And that they incorporate visible geo-

graphic features, town, city,and county boundaries and undivided cen-

sus tracts.6. And they are electorally competitive so

long as the aforementioned criteria are satis-fied.

Specifically the Commission must start from scratch and cannot consider the resi-dence of incumbents, candidates, or party voting patterns.

For all voters the question to ask those who ask for our vote for State Represenative or Senator is, will you co-sponsor, and vote for such a bill. If not why not? To those who want to be our representatives in Congress will you support that legislation in the Legislature. If not why not? Same question for those who are running for all Statewide offices.

Courtesy Charlie [email protected]

Abolish Gerrymandering

Pierce awarded Texas Historical Commission

Leadership AwardONA Lea Pierce of Blessing was awarded the Texas Historical C o m m i s s i o n ’s John Ben Shep-perd County Historical Com-mission Leader-ship Award at the 2017 Texas His-torical Commis-ion Awards Ban-quet. Pierce has been a member of the Matagorda County Histori-cal Foundation since 1967 and served as chair-man from 2001-2017.

(See CITY, Page 2)

The Palacios Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors welcomed newcomers to their ranks ap-proved new leadership with the election of officers for 2018 at last week’s monthly meeting.

The Directors voted for Robert Van Borrsum to suc-ceed Mary Crocker at the head of the table as President.

Stuart Lynn was voted in as Vice President and Jan Pierce was elected Secretary. Deb-bie Morris is the lone hold-over among the officers and will take another tour of duty as treasurer.

Paula Whitney and Pierce were introduced as new Di-rectors on the Board. Pierce, proprietor of Old Main Book-store, is back on the Board af-ter a year hiatus after having reached her term limit, and Whitney owns and operates the Peaceful Pelican Bed and Breakfast.

Hotel ContractThe Board approved the

contract to be presented to the hotel projects Chinese investors, with Whitney ab-staining.

“The nice and convenient thing is, Mayor Glen Smith and PEDC Executive Direc-tor Mike Ferdinand will be over in China and they will

have access to talking to them face to face.”Exectuvie Director Report

Continuing on the hotel project, Ferdinand said, “We are currently with the sales agreement with the hotel project, with some modifica-tions that will go forward to the investors.”

“We’ve been notified that the earnest money has been mailed, and hope to have an executable agreement in the near future.”

Work continues with the apparel manufacturer look-ing to locate in Palacios but Ferdinand said the landowner and company have not been able to come to an agreement on the land.

“They are now focusing on a property outside of Pala-cios, but citizens of Palacios would still be employed if they do move forward.”

Probed by Van Borssum if the company was looking at land of existing buildings,

Ferdinand stated it was a ‘pair of buildings’.

Asked by Pierce how many other locations were in the running, Ferdinand stated, there was one other location in contention.

Approved ItemsThe Directors approved the

Financial Report given by Tammy McDonald and the purchasing of a table to the annual Palacios Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet.

Next MeetingThe next meeting of the

PEDC Board of Directors will be held on Feb. 21 at 1:15 p.m.

DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAYPage 2 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., January 17, 2018 DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAY

BEE a Know-It-AllSubscribe to

The Palacios BeaconIn Print or Online.

$30.00 in Matagorda County$40.00 Everywhere Else

361-972-3009www.palaciosbeacon.com

Port A man out of prison after 25 yearsPORT ARANSAS: Former Port Aransas resident Mark

Jones and his family got one of the best early Christmas gifts they could hope for. Jones was released on bond Wednesday, Dec. 20, after serving about 25 years behind bars in Georgia for a murder he contends he didn’t com-mit. He was heading to Port Aransas after his release. Jones and two other men were convicted in 1992 in the drive-by slaying of a Savannah, Georgia resident. There were racial overtones in the case. The victim was black, and the three defendants were white. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that a key witness was coerced into testifying at trial that he could positively identify the men, and that, along with other evidence, was withheld from the defense. If prosecu-tors decide not to retry the case, charges will be dismissed and the men will remain free. - Port Aransas South Jetty

Fog attributed to pedestrian fatalityNAVASOTA: Michael R. Bell, 35, was pronounced

dead after being found unresponsive along State Highway 105 just east of Navasota on Monday, Dec. 18. Initially described as a fatality hit and run accident, investigators have received information that Bell had been seen walking early that morning along the side of the roadway in dense fog. According to Grimes County authorities, it is possible that the driver did not know what they hit due to the in-clement weather. “The preliminary investigation indicates at approximately 5 a.m., a male pedestrian was walking westbound on the improved shoulder, when he was struck from behind by an unknown vehicle,” stated DPS Troop-er Jimmy Morgan. “The driver left the scene of the crash without reporting the collision to law enforcement.” - The Navasota Examiner

Former jail captain draws theft chargeROCKDALE: A former captain with the Milam County

Sheriff’s Department was arrested Thursday by the Texas Rangers in connection with a series of thefts from the de-partment over a three-year period. Sheriff David Greene identified the person involved as Katrina Douglas, 42, a resident of Temple. Douglas had been a member of the sheriff’s department for almost 10 years before resigning almost a year ago. In 2009, she was named Texas Jail As-sociations Correctional Officer of the year, beating out 253 other nominees from all Texas counties. Greene said the department began investigating missing funds after Doug-las resigned and discrepancies came to light. Greene said officials believe about $36,000 was taken, all from an in-mate trust fund which represents money inmates turn in when they are booked into the facility. - The Rockdale Re-porter

Lone bid prompts museum fix delayWHARTON: Wharton County Commissioners tabled

the lone bid for historical museum restoration in a called late December session. The $891,000 offer, made by BLS Construction of El Campo, was to repair flood damage at the 3615 Richmond Road museum in Wharton suffered as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Water damage to sheetrock and carpet required removal as well as the need for mold remediation in the facility. Most artifacts, however, were saved by volunteers. Hurricane Harvey flooded the Whar-ton County Historical Museum in August, and the facility has been closed ever since. County Commissioners have expressed hopes to have it back up and running by Decem-ber 2018. The single bid for repairs, however, put plans on hold as officials said they will continue to mull over op-tions. - El Campo Leader-News

PALACIOS BEACON

Area BriefsPEDC install new Directors & select new Officers;

approve hotel contract to be sent to Chinese investors

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Mike’s On Main receives PEDC Bert West Business Enhancement Grant

PALACIOS Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Mike Ferdinand (left) joins President Mary Crocker in presenting Mike’s On Main co-owner Nancy Dot-son, who was joined by sister Teri Treadway, with the PEDC’s Bert West Business Enhancement Grant. (Submitted Photo)

Palacios Beacon Policy ForPolitical Advertising, Announcements

• Announcement & Candidate Listing—$50 • • Candidate Listing only—$30 •

The following are the Palacios Beacon’s guidelines and policies for candidate announcements and politi-cal advertising.

• There is a special Beacon discounted $50.00 charge for the first statement of candidacy (announcement and photo (if available). This also includes a listing in the Palacios Beacon’s Candidate Listing which will run up until the election. The base charge is for a candidate statement not exceeding 2 double-spaced typewritten pages. Additional space will be charged at the regular $5.50 per column inch advertising rate. Deadline for Announcements/Listing is Friday before the next paper.

• The charge is $30 to be included only in Candi-date Listing.

• Except for strict news coverage by the Palacios

Beacon, all future announcements, submitted state-ments or any other material submitted by the candi-date, or on the candidate’s behalf, will be considered advertising and charged at the Palacios Beacon’s regular advertising rate of $5.50 per column inch.

• As required by law, all political advertising must be paid in advance.

• As required by law, all political advertising must include the name and address of the person(s) or organization paying for the advertisement and, if an organization, must include the name of the trea-surer.

• The Palacios Beacon will not publish any Letters To the Editor in support, or opposition, to any candi-date. Such submissions will be considered political advertising and subject to regular advertising rates.

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

reelection with Johnny Tran in Pos. 1, Judy Chavez in Pos. 2 and Stephen McGov-ern of Pos. 6.

While on the PISD front, Trustees Rob Kessler in Pos. 1 and Peter Estraca in Pos. 2 are up for reelection.

The last day to file for a place on the general election ballot is 5 p.m. on February 16.

Ballot position drawing will be held February 27 at 4:30 p.m.

The last day to register to vote in May’s election is April 5.

The first day of early vot-ing begins on April 23 and runs thru May 1.

CITY(Continued From Page 1)

Associate Municipal Judge’s Salary to $12.00 per hour.

The Minutes of the No-vember 28, 2017 Regular Council Meeting and the December 12, 2017 Regular Council Meeting were also approved.

Next MeetingThe next Regular City

Council Meeting will be on Jan. 23.

66th annual Deuctschburg Seafood Lunch/Dinner Jan. 27The “66th Annual Deutsch-

burg Benefit Seafood Lunch and Dinner” will be held on Saturday, January 27th, 2018 serving our famous sea-food plates from 11:30 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. In addition

to the seafood meal, there will be an auction of homemade goods from the Deutschburg Community and items craft-ed and donated by area resi-dents and vendors. Plates to go are also available. Loca-tion: The Deutschburg Com-munity Center located on FM 1862 NW of Palacios.

FILING(Continued From Page 1)

Deadline 5 p.m. Friday for all photos and articles to be submitted for consideration

to be published in the Palacios Beacon

Palacios Beacon - Wed., January 17, 2018 - Page 3DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAY

The one and only....• PALACIOS BEACON •

ABOLISH (Continued From Page 1)

This is the best time to learn to iden-tify the varied s h o r e b i r d s , waterfowl and other birds, that find ref-uge in our coastal habitat, during winter. Although win-ter plumage of many of these visitors is dull gray/tan or brown, their identification becomes a welcome chal-lenge.

Contributors to this column, including Miss Murphy, and Mary Crocker, reported see-ing such in-teresting birds as Whimbrel, A m e r i c a n G o l d f i n c h , R e d - t a i l e d Hawk, North-ern Cardinal, Snow Geese and Sandhill Crane. Dur-ing a recent trip to Magic Ridge, Indi-anola area, Tom Wise photographed an Osprey, taking off from a perch on a pole in the wetland habitat...(see ac-companying photo). Margaret Doughty and Edith Gower counted 46 species on a recent trip to ANWR, including a juvenile Whooping Crane, feeding in a mudflat. Colleen Clyabourn and grandson, Brandon, reported watching a Red-shouldered Hawk, striking another bird, which hit the ground within their reach. It was another Red-shouldered Hawk, which had been decapitated!

In the north country, Wisconsin, we continue to see American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, American Tree Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Purple Finch, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow and Can-ada Geese.

Bird NotesCathy Wakefield(361)404-1198

International Crane Foundation - Volunteer

ARRESTSJoey Rene Frausto, 27, 136 Sandpiper

Circle 46, was arrested at 136 Sandpiper Circle at 8:05 p.m. on Jan. 1. Indecency with a Child Warrant.

INCIDENTSAssault Causes Bodily Injury Family

Violence: Officer was dispatched to the Police Annex at 8:15 p.m. on Jan. 5 to take information from complainant whose boy-friend struck her in the face.

Theft: Officer was dispatched to the 100 block of 7th St. at 8:00 a.m. on Jan. 8 to investigate the theft of diesel fuel from a shrimp boat.

Dog Bite: Officer was dispatched to the Emergency Room at 5:00 p.m. on Jan. 8 in reference to a dog bite incident.

Criminal Mischief Graffiti: Officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Elizabeth Ave at 9:27 p.m. on Jan. 8 in reference to Criminal Mischief.

Theft: Individual reported at 1:25 p.m. on Jan. 9 that UPS packages were stolen from his front porch.

Credit Card or Debit Card Abuse: Of-ficer met with complainant at the Police Annex at 4:21 p. m. on Jan. 9 in reference to his debit card being stolen.

Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle: Officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Beecher Ave at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 11 in ref-erence to an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

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

I pray that the New Year will bring cheer and prosperity to ev-eryone. May all your plans be a success.

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Weekly Special: January 17th-23rd

We are close to

home and here to heal!

Dr. Donald Frame, MD

Dr. Donald Frame, MD will be conducting a free leg screening to help diagnose and treat any leg problems you may be experiencing. To include but not limited to: Leg pain, aching or cramping - Burning or itching of the skin. Leg or ankle swelling, especially at the end of the day. “Heavy” feeling in legs- Varicose veins. Skin discoloration or texture changes, such as above the inner ankle. Open wounds

or sores, such as above the inner ankle. Open wounds or sores, such as above the inner ankle -Restless legs

Palacios Medical Clinic307 Green Ave. • Palacios, TX • 361-972-2000

January 18th 3pm-7pmFREE LEG SCREENING

LEG PAIN, ACHING CRAMPING

BURNING OR ITCH-ING OF THE SKIN

VARICOSE VEINS

LEG OR ANKLE SWELLING,

ESPECIALLY AT THE END OF THE DAY

“HEAVY” FEELING IN LEGS,

RESTLESS LEGS

LorettaGriffin for

MatagordaCounty Treasurer

PROOFLoretta

Griffinfor

MatagordaCounty TreasurerPol Adv Paid for by Loretta Griffin, Treasurer, P. O. Box 129, Cedar Lane, TX 77415

Election Day: March 6, 2018Election Day: March 6, 2018

Pol. Adv. Paid for by Loretta Griffin, Treasurer, P O Box 129, Cedar Lane, TX 77415

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

SOME old photos have been dug up at the City by the Sea Museum, and local librar-ian Vikijane Mosier has taken the task of trying to identify those from Palacios’ his-tory. The picture above is from the Wednesday Club. Pictured in the front are: (left to right) unidentified, Dolly Hamlin and Carolyn Johnson; (middle) all unidentified except last sitting person, Leala Kahlich; (back) all are unidentified. If you can iden-tify one of the unknown persons in the photo or correct someone misnamed, please contact Mrs. Vikijane Mosier at the Libary at 972-3234.

Hank E. Huitt3120A Ave FBay [email protected]

Call me today for a complimentary insurancereview.

(979) 244-4671

Insurance subject to availability and qualifications.Allstate County Mutual Insurance Company,Irving, Texas. © 2009 Allstate Insurance Company.

OSPREYAlso known as “Fish Hawk, the Osprey spends summers in north-ern Wisconsin, Minnesota, west-ern states and Canada. It migrates through the Midwest, but resides, year round along the Texas coast. It is a large hawk, 23 inches long. Its head is white except for a broad black eye stripe. While its underparts are white, its wing and back are dark brown. It is often observed perched on poles adjacent to or in wetlands, or seen flying with a fish in its talons. Osprey photo, taken by Tom Wise at Magic Ridge, Indianola.

PISD (Continued From Page 1)that school districts weigh the initial costs of efficiency upgrades, and the accompa-nying savings, against the en-ergy and monetary waste of equipment that is well past its useful lifespan, and has been surpassed by modern levels of efficiency.

At last week’s Regular Board Meeting, the PISD Board of Directors approved action for the Superintendent to execute an Energy Saving Performance Contract with ABM Building Solutions, LLC, contingent upon legal and independent third party engineering review per edu-cation code 44.901.

According to Dan Callahan of ABM Building Solutions, LLC, “This whole program is a guaranteed energy savings program authorized under the Texas Education Code 44.901. The savings we can derive here from the project are guaranteed, the construc-tion price of the project is guaranteed, and our results are guaranteed.”

The areas to be addressed are HVAC, humidity control, and weather sealing, and the cost will be slightly over $2 million. The upgrades will save the district over $90,000 per year and over $1 million over a 15 year period. Energy efficient lighting upgrades will be addressed in the future.

Extracurricular student absences

The Board has been peti-tioned recently to grant stu-dents more extracurricular absences. Carolyn Kubecka presented the changes made to Board Policy FM (Local), which were approved. Stu-dents are now permitted 15 extracurricular absences not related to post-district com-petition, unlimited absences for participation in post-district, state, or national competition, 10 additional extracurricular absences for competition not related to post-district competition if the student has, of the date of

the most recent interim prog-ress report, a grade average of 80 or higher in the courses or subjects to be missed.School Board Recognition

Month“Being a School Board

member is easily one of the most difficult and, in a lot of ways, thankless jobs you can have,” stated PISD Superin-tendent Alexandro Flores as board members were hon-ored during School Board Recognition Month.

Approved ItemsItems approved by the

Board include Minutes of the Dec. 11 Regular Board Meet-ing, Call for Election for Po-sitions 1 & 2, Superintendent Contract Addendum as dis-cussed and authorize Board President to sign Addendum on behalf of the Board. Board Policy FM (Local) was ap-proved, along with Purchase and Acquisition of Cafete-ria Tables. An Architectural Firm, LaMarr Womack and Associates, LP, for a Facil-ity Survey, possible Disaster Recovery and Pre/Post Bond Project Services was named, approval was given to Super-intendent Flores to execute a contract for an Energy Sav-ing Performance contract with ABM Building Solu-tions, LLC, contingent upon legal and independent third party engineering review per education code 44.901, and a third party engineering firm to review the cost savings projected by ABM Building Solutions, LLC.

Reports to the BoardJames Schumann presented

the Monthly Financial Re-ports and Monthly Summary of Bills. Superintendent Flores presented Joint Election with City of Palacios, Continuing Education Board Training, and information on the Valentine Parade on Feb. 10.

Next MeetingsThe Team of 8 Board

Workshop will be on Feb. 8, and the next Regular Board Meeting will be on Feb. 12.

Many of those who drafted the Con-stitution of the United States of America warned against political parties or as they called them factions. But it was inevi-table that like minded people would join together to influence “their”government to do what “they” wanted under the gov-

ernment formed by that same Constitu-tion.

Our current 2 party system has im-ploded. The Constitution did not antici-pate technology that would allow reap-portionment every 10 years, or sooner, to draw boundary lines to protect in-

cumbents and parties in power so cre-atively. Our Coun-try and the State of Texas would be much better served if the best ideas of our two parties would be articu-lated by their best candidates in No-

vember, not in March. Competition in a true marketplace has and will always serve America best.

That marvelous document called the Constitution was carefully constructed to keep the power of government in the people’s hands as much as possible. Abolishing gerrymandering is the best place to start returning power to the people. To ALL of those who want to go to Austin to work for the people, support the bill or explain why you won’t. This is one issue that could have a positive effect on this years Texas primaries as well as general election, and more im-portantly the substance and quality of debate of the 115th Congress and 86th Legislature.

DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAYPage 4 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., January 17, 2018

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week’s Palacios Beacon?

Pick one up at the Beacon office, located at 809 First 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 a payment in the mail to

P.O. Box 817Palacios, TX 7745