We continue our look back on the year that was 2017 and pick up where we left off last week and hit the highlights from the second half of the year in the City by the Sea from July through December.

JulyThe was a changing of the guard in Pala-

cios’ prime periodical for the past 110 years as the Palacios Beacon was purchased by the company formed by publisher Ryan West, son of the late Nick West - longtime Beacon edi-tor and publisher, and wife Brandi, City by the Sea Publishing, LLC. from Toney Publishing, Inc. The drinking water report for the City of Palacios passed with flying colors. The Pala-cios Economic Development Corp. was seek-

ing persons to show a qualified and adequate workforce via a survey to help lure an apparel manufacturing facility to town. Father Domi-nic Nguyen of St. Anthony of Padua’s Catho-lic Church in Palacios held mass at the King of God Statue, depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus, before the annual Blessing of the Fleet in the Port of Palacios. Former Palacios ISD teacher and coach, Dillon Gaffney was ar-rested and charged with Improper Relation-ship With a Student during his tenure in at Palacios High School. Sparks were flying for the Palaicos Lions Club’s annual Fireworks Spectacular over East Bay. Christian Garcia, son of Greg and Rhonda Garcia and a PHS alumnus class of 2012, graduated U.S. Army Ranger School. A trio of students earned their GED thru WCJC programs offered at the Palacios Community Hub. Parents wor-

ries were in high gear after an attempted child abduction from a local church during Vaca-tion Bible School. City Council tabbed John Sardelich, Paul Smith, Wayne Dodd, Ron Conaway and Ryan West to the Charter Re-view Commission. A suspected home burglar was caught by Palacios Police while trying to peddle stolen firearms. The Seawall Commis-sion was turning heads with the installation of new pirate-themed playground equipment at Palacios’ East & South Bay Parks. The Port of Palacios went from hustle and bustle to ee-rily calm as boats abandoned the docks for the opening of the Gulf of Mexico to shrimping. Isael Guerrero made history for being the first Palacios resident to win the Palacios Cham-ber of Commerce’s annual Poker in Palacios No-Limit Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament. Nel-lie Mae Perry, a PHS grad class of 2016 and

chairman of Young Conservatives of Texas - Texas State University Chapter, was set to be featured on a program on The Blaze televi-sion network. After an impressive run in the Little League All-Star tournaments, the Tide-haven 11/12 year old girls fell one game short of the State tournament with a 6-4 loss to Ga-nado in the Sectional Championship. After a slip in its highest-performance safety status, the South Texas Project was looking to re-gain its highest safety rating from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Palacios Vol-unteer Fire Dept. continued to work towards the construction of a new fire stations with aspirations of a direct mail funding campaign to help fully finish off the projects funding. The Epicscopal Health Foundation awarded

PAGE 2

Gospel ConcertSaturday At

United MethodistSEE PAGE 5

WEDNESDAYJAN. 3, 2018VOL. 111 • NO. 1

BEACONBRIEFS

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

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

Website: palaciosbeacon.com

The OnlyNewspaper In The

World Published Just For The Palacios Area.

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Beacon Deadline 5 p.m. Friday

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

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

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(See REVIEW, Page 2)

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

PalaciosPalaciosBEACONBEACONProudly Serving The City By The Sea Since 1907USPS 418460 1 SectiON, 8 PAGES

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

A lesson in longhorn cattle history

Copycat beer bandit raises ante in recent

heist

• Palacios Year-In Review Part II: July thru December •

SEE PAGE 8

SharkettesWin Holiday

Tourney

Thank a School Board member during January

BY MICK SCHEIBPalacios Beacon

■ PISD training for substitutes Fri. at Admin.

All substitutes are re-quired to attend training each academic year. The next training will be held Friday, January 5, 2018 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. in the PISD Board Room. After the orientation, participants will have an opportunity to visit each campus. Current sub-stitutes who attended a training in the fall do not need to attend.

New substitutes must submit an application on the web at www.palacio-sisd.org, bring their photo ID and social security card. A High School di-ploma is required.

If you have any ques-tions, please contact Mar-tha McEntire at 361-972-5491 Ext. 1003.

Wading In For A Big

Catch In 2018

After dropping, jobless rate in Co. back on the rise in Nov.

January is School Board Recognition Month and Pala-cios ISD is joining other dis-tricts across the state to thank these community volunteers for their commitment and contributions to our public schools.

“School board members serve countless hours with-out pay, working to improve the way we provide public education for every child of this community,” said Dr. Al-exandro Flores, Palacios ISD Superintendent. “In a climate of challenge and change, they develop policies and make tough decisions on complex educational and social issues that affect our entire com-munity, especially the lives of individual students. In our case, they bear the responsi-

bility and oversight for an an-nual budget of approximately $18 million dollars; 1,430 students; and more than 211 employees across 4 campus-es.”

“Preparing today’s students to be productive citizens and the leaders of tomorrow is a tremendous task. As elected officials, school board mem-bers are the voice of their communities, serving first and foremost in the best in-terest of our schoolchildren,” said Dr. Flores.

“We proudly salute these advocates for education as they provide vision and lead-ership for student achieve-ment, academic programs, district funding, and school

Disaster averted...

Just as it appeared that un-employment rates in local counties would continue fall-ing, the opposite happened in November.

In spite of Texas’ robust economy, all local counties experienced a slight increase in unemployment in Novem-ber, none more than 0.4 per-cent, but they were only fol-lowing a trend in the state.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, in November, 237 of the 254 counties had an over-the-month increase in their un-employment rates. Thirteen counties were unchanged over the month, while four counties decreased. Sixty-two counties had an unem-ployment rate of 3.0 percent or less compared to ninety-

four the prior month. Of the 7,726,399 Texans not in the labor force, about 94 percent do not currently want a job. The unemployment rate for males declined by 0.3 per-centage points over-the-year to a rate of 4.4 percent, while the rate for women increased slightly to 4.4 percent.

The U.S., Texas, and sur-rounding counties’ unem-ployment rates for November 2017 are shown below, with October 2017 and percentage change in parentheses. U.S.: 4.1 percent (4.1) (0.0%) Tex-as: 3.7 percent (3.9) (-0.2%) Brazoria: 4.6 percent (4.4) (0.2%) Calhoun: 5.5 per-cent (5.3) (0.2%) Colorado: 3.6 percent (3.2) (0.4%) Fort Bend: 4.0 percent (3.9) (0.1%) Jackson: 3.5 percent (3.3) (0.2%) Matagorda: 6.5 percent (6.2) (0.3%) Whar-ton: 4.0 percent (3.7) (0.3%).

It appears that the Pa-lacios Beer Bandit, or a copycat, is at it again. At 1:45 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 22, an unknown person entered the 7-11 store, grabbed an 18-pack of beer, and threw $25 on the counter on his way out the door.

While there were two laws potentially broken, theft was not one of them since he did pay for the

(See BEER, Page 3)(See PISD, Page 3)

PALACIOS Police Officers, volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel gathered at the East Bay Boat Ramp in anticipation of a Game Warden’s arrival via boat to de-liver the body of a drowning victim after a boating mishap on Dec. 27. Fortunately for the three boaters involved that were left stranded, local Game Warden Janssen was quick on the scene and prevented a far greater disaster from occuring. No significant injuries among the three were reported. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West)

DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAYPage 2 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., December 27, 2017 DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAY

REVIEW (Continued From Page 1)

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PCMC with a $100,000 grant towards the new Palacios Medical Clinic. Pala-cios ISD continued the belt tightening as a federal funding cuts were com-ing down the line. Palacios Lions Dale Behnke, Erwin Janszen and Ron Laws received their Lifetime Memberships. The Palacios Girl Scouts pitched in to help clean up the Palacios Bay front.

AugustU.S. Representative Blake Farenthold

of District 27, was in the crosshairs af-ter invoking a duel as a way to settle disputes with fellow Republicans in Washington. The Palacios Sharkettes took to the volleyball court for the first time in 2017 at the first practice of the year. The beleaguered former Palacios coach, Dillon Gaffney was arrested on more charges stemming from his time at PISD. Faith, food and family were shared at St. Anthony’s 53rd annual Shrimporee celebration. The Palacios Sharks and Tidehaven Tigers were back on the gridiron for the inaugural practice of the 2017 season. The Commissioners of the Matagorda County Seawall Com-mission continued to discuss options to remedy Palacios’ failing seawall side-walks, aka splash apron. Work on the Palacios Coastal Educational Pavilion was at a standstill after the contractor walked out and the Pavilion Committee awaited word from the bonding compa-ny. A Dedication Mass was led by Bishop Brendan Cahill at of the Lady of the As-sumption Chapel in Bethany Park drew hundreds of attendees. Chip Woolf took to the podium at City Council to howl over appraised values of lots owned in Beachside and how they reflected in the City’s budget. Members of Matagorda Bay Brazilian JiuJitsu brought home medals and belts from the Turtle Guard Tournament in Corpus Christi. The varsity Sharkettes fought their way to Consolation at their own Battle of the Bay Volleyball Touranment. The Port of Palacios began their search for new Port Director after Debbie Morris an-nounced her intention to retire at the end of the year. Palacios Police Office Jose Diaz was awarded Officer of the Year at the 40th annual 100 Club of Matago-rda County’s annual Law Enforcement Awards Dinner. The music will live on at The Outrigger Event Center with a little help from its friends, who joined forces and took over the establishment on a two-year lease. Matagorda Co. Precinct #3 was forced to tighten brush dumping restrictions because of persons dump-ing illegal items. The Palacios Yacht Club’s annual Cannonball Run Regatta featured its first Palacios entrants, in Makalya Ruley and Sarina Riccio. The 35th annual CofC FishFest Family Fish-ing Tournament saw Robert Long take Best Overall Individual, Hannah Oli-ver win Best Youth and the John Glenn Family win the Family Divi-sion. The JV Sharkette ‘Red’ spikers captured first place at the Tidehaven JV tourney. Area youth returned to the hallways with the first days of school at Palacios, Bless-ing and Tidehaven. After a quick formation and intensifi-cation, category 4 Hurricane Harvey set its sights on the the Texas Gulf Coast. Har-vey’s high winds and high tides pummeled Palacios, up-

rooted trees and sunk boats in the harbor but overall spared our little City by the Sea. Harvey’s wrath left many without power for days, shut the doors of PISD for nearly a week, and forced the Bea-con to miss a week’s edition for the first time in known history. While Harvey intererrupted many of Palacians’ lives, others stepped up to lead in lending a helping hand, including Carlos Duran, Paul Saustrup, Trans Testaurant and Lowes Market. The Sharks and Tigers were shuffling to get their football sea-son underway after Harvey forced foot-ball cancellations around the state.

SeptemberThe spotlight shined on Palacios’ own

heroes who went above and beyond to help their fellow man during Hurricane Harvey, led by Palacian Garrett Clay-bourn. City Manager David Kocurek re-ported to Council that Palacios ‘dodged a bullet’ in regards to Harvey’s wrath. Mayor Glen Smith urged patience to the citizens of Palacios in dealing with the clean-up in the aftermath of Harvey. The Port of Palacios was one of safe refuge during Harvey with over 125 vessels ty-ing up during the hurricane. In the Post-Labor Day count, Palacios ISD showed an increase of 41 students from the first day of school, up to 1,411. Crews of workers were busy removing a sailboat deposited by Harvey along Bayshore Drive, while others worked to raise ves-sels from their watery graves at Seren-dipity’s marina. The varsity Sharkettes spikers ran the table to win the champi-onship at the Lady Leopard Tournament in Van Vleck. Tidehaven opened the sea-son with a 45-26 steaming of the Rice Raiders. Tim Kessler paced the Shark cross country squad to team silver at the Brazos meet. Despite a grilling by local citizens, Palacios City council approved a 7-percent tax increase. Tidehaven’s Darian Kemp and Cynthia Sepulveda were crowned 2017 Homecoming King and Queen. The City and Matagorda County approved and interlocal agree-ment to provide in-house clean-up of storm debris left by Hurricane Harvey. Tidehaven’s string of dominance over the Palacios Sharks continued in the 69th meeting with the Tigers prevailing 40-0. The next steps were being taken by the PEDC’s hotel and apparel man-ufacturing projects. The City of Pala-cios was gearing up for its annual Fall Clean-Up. County and City crews were busy clearing debris stacked high by the side of the road left by Harvey. The bucks rolled in for PCMC’s 9th annual Box Supper fundraiser held at the Rec. Center. The Seawall Commission was assessing the damage left by Harvey and eyed a lengthy recovery effort. The Pirate Festival doled out its $25,000 in ’booty’ to programs that serve children and families at the City by the Sea Mu-

seum and the Palacios Area Fund. The PEDC hosted its second Comprehensive Strategic Planning Session at the City Council Chambers to work on moving Palacios forward. Tidehaven celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1967 State Champion Tiger football team during halftime of Tidehaven’s 56-0 swatting of Louise. The Sharks snapped an 18 game losing streak and enjoyed the sweet taste of victory for the first since ’15, with a 40-14 win over Bloomington. Palacios FFA donated 30 bales of hay to an FFA family affected by Hurricane Harvey in Dayton, Texas. The Sharks were fried by the Rice Raiders 56-10 in the Dis-trict opener. Tidehaven turned the tide on East Bernard to earn their first win in 21 years over the Brahmas, and snapped East Bernards’ six year undefeated run in District with a 14-11 victory.

OctoberSTP had its 20-year license renewal

approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The PHS Chapter of POW-ERSET inducted new members in a cer-emony at the Fine Arts Building. Miss Katilynn Brown and Morgan Segovia were crowned PHS Homecoming Queen and King. A new organization, From the Heart, was working to help Matagorda County families impacted by Hurricane Harvey. First Book of Matagorda Coun-ty reported distributing over 11,000 books during 2017. The Sharks turned some heads when they stood toe to toe with state ranked Hallettsville and trad-ed haymakers in the first half of a 48-21 homecoming loss. Behindg six top 16 finished, the Shark cross country har-riers claimed silver in the team stand-ings at the District 28-3A Cross Coun-try Meet at the Marine Center. After a meeting with State officials, Palacios Mayor Glen Smith gave assurances that the local voices had been heard. The Pa-lacios Community Hub celebrated the success of its first annual Fall Festival. After falling behind 21-7, Tidehaven rallied to beat Boling 48-27. Members of the PHS Interact Club pitched in to lean up 12 bags of trash from the bayrfront. The MCND identified Victor Martinez, Jr. to be the new Port Director at the Port of Palacios. A student at Palacios ISD’s East Side Intermediate was caught with a BB gun on the campus. Palacios’ Com-mercial State Bank was acquired by First Financial Bancshares. The PEDC hotel project continued to move forward with a sales agreement to sell real prop-erty to the investment group developing the hotel. The MCND Commissioners approved a payment of $5,000 towards the Palacios Volunteer Fire Department for their continued services to the Port of Palacios. Palacios’ Patty Frankson, Shelley Newsome and Kathy Bumguard-

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(See REVIEW, Page 3)

Two hundred-nineteen species of birds were counted this past Monday, during the annual Mad Island Marsh Christmas Bird Count, (CBC). This count has been held, for the most part, the Monday preceding Christmas, for the last 25 years. Out of those 25 years, our count has ranked number one in the nation 23 years!

Actually 219 species is not our best. We have counted 253 species in years past. The low count has been contrib-uted to poor weather, and negative effects of Hurricane Harvey on local habitats. Brent Ortego, CBC coordina-tor, told us during the orientation dinner, that many resi-dent birds are simply not here. Due to high winds/rain and habitat destruction, they simply vanished. Many were re-ported dead along the shore drift.

Some highlights of the count this year include a pair of Whooping Cranes, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Mourn-ing Warbler, Western and Summer Tanagers.

Notable birds seen, in portions of the Western Roads section, include two white-phase, or Leucistic Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcon, (Bob Friedrichs saw this fal-con), Merlin, Bonaparte’s Gull, (Bob Friedrich’s obser-vation), Bald Eagle and Black-bellied Plover. Absent, from at least my group’s efforts, include House Sparrow, Snow and Cattle Egrets. We saw no Roseate Spoonbills, (although we have plenty of them in the area), and the variety of ducks was not great.

When all the birds counts have been done, we will visit this topic again, to get Bob Friedrich’s top birds, (he is participating in 5 CBC’s this winter), and the other count totals.

An informal group of Whooping Crane monitors has be-gun noting these birds. As you know, in order for Whoop-ing Cranes to successfully increase in number, their range must expand to include additional quality habitat. As an informal monitoring group, we are interested in docu-menting this expansion. If you would like to participate, or lead the group, please holler at Cathy Wakefield or Tom Wise. While there is a “Whooper Watch” I don’t think a lot of folks share their information on that website.

Bird NotesCathy Wakefield(361)404-1198

International Crane Foundation - Volunteer

Wading waist

deep one last time in 2017...A pair of anglers were wading waist deep into the waters off the South Bay Seawall in hopes of reeling in just one more catch be-fore the calender officially turned to 2018. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West)

Palacios Beacon - Wed., December 27, 2017 - Page 3DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAY

PISD(Continued From Page 1)

Deadline For Articles, Ads5 p.m. Friday

Classified Ad’s 10 a.m. Monday

ARRESTSJAaron Jermaine Nixon, 39, 1705 Ruth-

ven St., was arrested in the 500 block of 6th St. at 1:38 a.m. on Dec. 22. Warrant Ser-vice Capias.

Rick Ray Mata, 35, 413 Johnson Ave, was arrested in the 1000 block of 1st St. at 7:46 p.m. on Dec. 24. Driving While Li-cense Suspended.

Joseph Ray Calderon, 30, 516 Gillespie St., was arrested in the 400 block of E. Per-ryman Ave at 11:21 p.m. on Dec. 26. Failed to Display Operator/Driver License.

Velinda Yolanda Deashuia Durgan, 19, 1111 Ritchie Ave, was arrested in the 600 block of Ritchie Ave at 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 28. No Driver’s License

INCIDENTSTheft-Sale of Alcohol After Midnight

with Circumstances: Unknown subject grabbed an 18 pack of beer at the 7-11 store at 1:45 a.m. on Dec. 21, and threw $25.00 on the counter on his way out the door.

Concerned Citizen: Officer was dis-patched to the area of 9th St. and Welch Ave at 8:55 p.m. on Dec. 22 in reference to a reckless driver.

Burglary of a Habitation: Officer was dispatched to the 900 block of Morton Ave at 12:35 p.m. on Dec. 23 in reference to a

Burglary of a Habitation.Deadly Conduct: Officers were dis-

patched to the 1700 block of Gray St. at 4:49 p.m. on Dec. 25 in reference to a man with a gun.

Burglary of a Building: Report was made at 2:15 a.m. on Dec. 26 in reference to a burglary of a business.

Dog Bite: A report was made at 4:05 p.m. on Dec 26 of a dog bite in the 600 block of Lucas Ave.

Duty on Striking Unattended Vehicle: Officer met with complainant at the Police Station at 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 19 in reference to damage to his 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.

REVIEW (Continued From Page 1)

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ner each placed first in their respective cater-gories at the annual Rice Dish Round-Up. Pitted against the no. 2 team in Class 3A, the Yoakum Bulldogs, the Sharks were sunk 48-7. City Council approved a 4-percent pay raise for City Manager David Kocurek and were also on the look out tofr a new Treasurer and Building Inspector. Eighty riders braved the 41-degree temperatures for to cycle in the 9th annual Pedal Palacios bike ride, spon-sored by the Chamber of Commerce. The Pa-lacios Community Hub was serving up free hot dogs for those representing the Houston Astros in their pursuit of a first World Series title. After a full slate of season games, the varsity Sharkettes needed to fight their way into the playoffs in a five-set play-in victory over Van Vleck. Sharkette Lizbeth Guillen posted a personal record and finished 32nd at the Regional Cross Country Meet. The Pala-cios fightin’ Shark Band advanced to the UIL Region Marching contest, but fell short of a trip to the State contest. Montserrat Garcia and Salvador Carrillo were named the Ro-tary Club Students of the Month. PHS had 22 inductees into the National Honor Society.

NovemberMiss Lanae Tucker, daughter of Daniel

and Sandra Tucker was crowned Miss Pala-cios 2018 at the 46th annual Miss Palacios Pageant and crowned Little Mr. and Little Miss Palacios were Dominic Nieto and Ke-agan Gerberman. Porter’s Ace Hardward announced plans to relocate after purchas-ing the longtime Knights of Columbus Hall on Main St. The Sharkettes were spiked by Schulenburg’s Lady Shorthorns in a three set sweep in Bi-District. The Sharks were bitten by Leopards in a 40-0 shutout loss to Van Vleck. Tidehaven’s Tigers locked up their first District title since 1994 with a 41-6 win over Schulenburg. Palacios native Amy Vacek was name Miss Lone Star State 2017. Police raid-ed the Game Room and shut down the facil-ity for illegal gambling operation. The Sea-wall Commission was urging patience from the public on the repair of the public piers along the Seawall that were damaged by Hur-ricane Harvey. The City of Palacios tabbed for County Treasurer Tammy McDonald as new City Treasurer. A delegation of Chinese business men were hosted by the Matagorda County Economic Development Corp. and the Matagorda County Cattlemen’s Associa-tion for talks involving exporting of Matago-rda County beef to consumers in Chiping County China. The Palacios Sharks closed out the 2017 season with a 12-7 win over the Industrial Cobras. The Tidehaven Tigers finished off an undefeated 9-0 regular season with a 48-18 bashing of Bloomington. After a takeover agreement was signed between the bonding company and former Pavilion proj-ect foreman, City Manager David Kocurek projected the Pavilion completion date to be Jan. 31, 2018. The 20 month run at the helm of the Palacios Sharks as head coach and ath-letic director, Jeff Doege was reassigned by the PISD Administration to a Support Ad-ministrator position and the search was on for his replacement. The varsity Sharkettes were off to a 3-0 start on the basketball court. The Sharks won their season opener on the hard-wood with a 67-35 victory over St. Joseph. Tidehaven took care of the Florence Buffaloes with a 34-7 win in Bi-District. Former Palacios coach Dillon Gaffney was formally indict-ed by a Matagorda County Grand Jury on charges of Im-proper Relationship With a Student (x3) and Sexual As-sault of a Child (x3). Allisa Loftin and Clayton Stuhren-berg were selected Rotary Club Students of the Month. Palacios Elizabeth Ortiz gar-nered First Team All District Volleyball honors and fellow Sharkettes Brooke Vanden-bergh and Sarah Filip were selected to the Second Team, along with Tidehaven’s Ma-rie Galvan and Destiny Mo-rales. Jeff Williams rumbled to six touchdowns and 249 yards on 25 carries to lead

the Tidehaven Tigers a 58-29 win over Skid-more-Tynan to claim the Area title.

DecemberThe jolly gent himself, Santa Claus made

his first visit of the year to Palacios at the an-nual CofC Seaside Holiday on the grounds of the Luther Hotel. Palacios City Council approved the $300,000 expenditure by the Palacios Economic Development Corp. for the purchase of the land for the proposed hotel site. U.S. Representative Blake Far-enthold was outed after having using tax funds to settle a lawsuit brought by a former staffer. Numerous volunteers from the South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company spent their annual Pride Day with service and work at the former Rainbowland Park. Helpful elves from the Senior Center pitched in to fill goodie bags for the annual Seaside Holdiday. Tidehaven’s dream season came to an end in the Region Semifinals as Lexington toppled the Tigers 58-39. The varsity Sharks were off to a sizzling start to the basketball season with seven straight wins, and a Bob-cat Tourney title to boot. Members of the Pa-lacios 4-H were filling shoeboxes with gifts for Samaritan’s Purses. Palacios awoke to see snow flurries had blanketed the town for the first time in 13 years, giving many Pala-cians their first opportunity to see and play in a winter wonderland. The search was un-derway at PISD to find a new athletic direc-tor, head football coach for the Sharks. Bay City’s Arthur Millberger was the recipient of the 2017 Holst Award presented at the annu-al MCEDC meeting. The varsity Sharkettes surged to the Goliad Basketball Tournament championship. Sharkette spiker Elizabeth Ortiz was selected for the Chic-Fil-A All-Star Volleyball Game in Victoria. The turnstile at City Hall continued with the hiring of a new Public Works Director and the resigna-tion of City Secretary Angela Flores. Amid new claims of an abusive behavior by a male staffer, Congressman Blake Farenthold an-nounced his decision to not seek reelection in 2018. Dozens flocked to the Old Main Book-store for a book signing feature four authors during the annual Christmas on Main Street. Bailey Grones and Morgan Segovia were se-lected Rotary Club Students of the Month. Palacios Sydney Greaves signed her with Sh-reiner University to play collegiate softball. Law enforcement were on the hunt for Scott Alvin Koch after a search of his Palacios resi-dence turned up between 200-400 grams of methamphetamine, firearms and other drug paraphernalia. The Seawall Commission an-nounced plans to go out for bid repairs to the local fishing piers by Feb. 2018. The Palacios Area Fund awarded a $1,200 gift to the From the Heart Fund of Matagorda County. After compiling 1,378 yards and 27 touchdowns during the 9-game regular season, Tidehav-en’s Jeff Williams was selected Most Valuable Player in District 14-3A DII to lead 22 Tigers earning All-District recognition. Palacios had nine Sharks earn All-District honors with QB Kolby Wilson and RB Amos Haynes gar-nering First Team honors. Perhaps a reader caught of glimpse of last week’s Year In Re-view, as a man entered 7-11 after legal alco-hol sale hours and left with a case of beer, but not before dropping $25 on the counter.

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BEER (Continued From Page 1)

beer. So, he can take solace in the fact that he technically didn’t steal anything, but it is illegal to buy beer after midnight and it is unknown if the subject was old enough to buy the beer since he chose to bypass the I.D. portion of the transaction.

The clerk did manage to get his tag number so, the Police will surely be paying him a visit and he will ulti-mately be given the opportunity to “explain it all down at City Hall.”

facilities. Their service en-sures that decisions about lo-cal public schools are made by those most familiar with the needs of our community’s children and families,” said Dr. Flores. “These dedicated individuals deserve recog-nition and thanks for their unwavering commitment to the continuing success of our students now and in the fu-ture,” he said.

The men and women serv-ing Palacios ISD and their years of service are: Steve Stuhrenberg, 23 years; Peter Zamarripa, 13 years; Fabian Marroquin, 4 years; Peter Es-traca, 3 years; Rob Kessler; 3 years, Brandon Bowers, 2 years and Lisa Harrison, 1 year.

“Great leadership always begins with a willing heart, a positive attitude, and a desire to make a difference. Please join us as we applaud these local leaders for helping our kids soar to success.” Dr. Flores concluded.

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

DEADLINE 5 P.M. FRIDAYPage 4 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., December 27, 2017

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