661a for the web by Mary Craft

Inside the Moon

La Posada A2

Port. A Parade A2 Issue 661

The

Island Moon The voice of The Island since 1996

December 15, 2016

Around The Island

By Dale Rankin We had the best weather ever for the La Posada last weekend as the wind went away and the temperatures settled right in the pocket of the comfort zone as we Islanders took to the decks and boats to celebrate Christmas Island style. Now the water temperature is sticking around 72 degrees as the Polar Vortex is headed for the North County pushing the first of the early Winter Texans south of the JFK. We got stuck behind an RV big as a house on the Island Landing Strip that is now a seventeen mile-long no passing zone on the way to Port A and we had time to slow down and smell the sea grass – you can smell a lot of sea grass at 40 miles per hour but you can also hear yourself using some words not found in the Bible. A sure sign that the Winter Texans have arrived is a parking lot full of cars at Island Italian on Sunday night as music fans jam in to hear the South Texas Grassroots pump out the bluegrass. That usually kicks off about this time but this year won’t happen until Sunday, January 8. Tony Tag reports that one of the Grassroots players had a mishap on his motorcycle. Wow! Bluegrass players ride motorcycles?! Who knew?!

And then there’s this

Animal rescue guy Guy Davis reports that he was called out to the beach this week after reports of whale parts washing up on North Packery. It seems that parts of the sperm whale that washed up on St. Joe Island a few weeks ago are finding their way south with the changing currents. By the time Guy arrived a whale part collector had loaded a giant whale vertebrae into his truck - it would make a whale of an ashtray. Another enterprising fellow apparently camped out overnight on St. Joe and harvested the teeth of the behemoth in the dark of night. What’s really surprising about that is that sperm whales have teeth - 18 to 26 on each side of its lower jaw according to Whaleologists...who knew?!

Commodores work

Work on the Commodores/SPID intersection is progressing as the left turn lane onto SPID is lengthened and the intersection gets a rejiggering. The crews say another week or so should do it. The over/under on how long it would take for the first driver to smash into the water-filled barriers around the site was four days. We took the under and now have to wash Norm’s car.

Sounded okay at the planning meeting Sometime back in the balmy days of October the Moon Travel Brain Trust decided it would be a good idea to go to Chicago in December… with a Polar Vortex bearing down on the Windy City where the current temperature is 20 degrees with a 20 mph wind whipping in off the lake. The good news is that’s up from 9 below on Tuesday so we got that going for us. We’re taking our furlined flip flops and headed OTB. Our next trip is to Death Valley for the 4th of July. But if we can just teach Island mosquitos to eat the sand burs everything will be alright. Say hello if you see us Around The Island.

Kid's Art Contest A13

Stuff I Heard A5

Live Music A18

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Weekly

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La Posada 2016

La Posada cont. on A2

Lake Padre Site Work Nearing Completion

More than 9000 linear feet of bulkheads have been installed in the 104-acre development site surrounding Lake Padre as the months-long project to prepare the site for full development heads toward the finish line. Less than 1000 feet of bulkheads remain to be installed and this week crews continued digging at the

marina site adjacent to the planned SPID Water Exchange Bridge. Sand from the excavation work has been used to raise the elevation on most of the property to eight feet above sea level. Developer Paul Schexnailder said this week he expects the site work to be complete in early 2017. When fully developed the project will include hotels, apartments,

several marinas, and retail space surrounding a 3200-foot long canal feature which will connect the Lake Padre development with the area around the Schlitterbahn waterpark and allow water flow from the Gulf of Mexico directly into the existing Island canal system through a 40-foot wide canal under the water exchange bridge.

By the numbers

Convention & Vistors Bureau

Editor’s note: The Director of the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau Paulette Kluge spoke to the month luncheon of the Padre Island Business Association last week. Here are some of the numbers she provided about the organization. •

The Hotel/Motel Tax in Corpus Christi is 15% HOT revenue can only be used to tourism related items

•

6% of that goes to the State of Texas

•

2% Is set aside by law for special projects

By the numbers cont. A4

Island Foundation Hearing December 23

(Left) Crews are digging the marina site to a depth of ten feet. (Right) Crews use heavy machinery to drive the bulkheads made of PVC materail into the ground. More Lake Padre pictures on A2

Beach Access Road 3A to Get a Facelift

The kidney busting stretch of potholes and sand drifts that passes for Beach Access Road 3A at the end of Windward Drive looks like it will finally get a facelift. We suggest the city might want to have an archeologist on speed dial as it has been so long since any work was done on that road there might be a Karankawa burial ground under there. A layer of caliche that was put down over a year ago has disappeared somewhere under the sand. Since the pedestrian-only area at the south end of the seawall was bollarded off 3A has been the only way to access the South Packery beach by vehicle and has become

A little Island History

mostly a path through the sand.

The Corpus Christi City Council is expected to approve a contract next week that will free up $340,389.04 in 2014 bond money for the project and construction is scheduled to begin in January and be done by the end of February, before Spring Break 2017. The bend in the access road as it leaves St. Bartholomew Avenue will be straightened out so that drivers approaching down Windward won’t have to jog left as they head to the beach. City staff said since 3A is the only vehicular access to the South Packery the road will remain open throughout the construction process.

On December 23, 2016 at noon there will be a Public Hearing for the purpose of giving an overview of the financial accountability rating system, known as the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST). The purpose of FIRST is to ensure that open-enrollment charter schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices and that they improve those practices. The system is designed to encourage Texas public schools to better manage their financial resources in order to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes. Seashore Charter Schools received a rating of A-Superior.

The Island in Wartime

Regular patrols kept watch for enemy submarines Pilots dropped bombs on Island range

Pilot training began at the new Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi in March, 1941 and the beginning of World War II accelerated it. By the end of 1942 Corpus Christi NAS and its auxiliary bases were processing 2,500 pilots per month and became the largest naval pilot training facility in the world. Among the notables trained there were future President George Bush, Senator/Astronaut John Glenn, actor Tyrone Power, and TV emcee Bob Barker. Among other training disciplines that were

increasing was the need to practice bombing.

Early in the war the island was declared off-limits to civilians, all information concerning activity on the island was declared classified and seven bombing targets (large white bull's-eyes encircled by concentric white rings 100 yards in diameter) and eight strafing targets (vertical cloth or paper targets)

Coast Guard Patrol hut on Padre Island in World War II

were built spaced about five miles apart. Bombs dropped on the targets were usually very small and contained only enough explosive for pilots to check their accuracy. The principal practice bomb, the Mark IV, was only nine inches long and contained a 40-gauge shotgun shell in the nose as an explosive. Some larger bombs were dropped on occasion, however (for

Wartime cont. on A4

Port A. Christmas Parade

Island Moon

December 15, 2016

Islanders Make Christmas Special for Thousands of Children La Posada Toys for Tots a Huge Success

By Brent Rourk The sound of deck parties for the 42nd La Posada Lighted Boat Parade rang across Island waters last weekend as families and friends gathered to celebrate Christmas Island style. Toy collector boat crews, Captain and a Marine, made the rounds picking up donations for the Marine’s Toys for Tots drive. Doug Seefeldt, President of the La Posada Foundation, said as of Wednesday over 4,000 toys, including 25 bicycles, had been collected. Seefeldt also gave the United States Marines a check for $18,000 collected from donations and from silent and live auctions held at Scuttlebutts at the La Posada Kick-off Party on Tuesday, December 6th.

“We want to send a huge, heartfelt, thank you to the United States Marines for what they do with Toys for Tots. Equal thanks to Scuttlebutts, many business sponsors, parade boats, collector boats, all of the volunteers, and the very generous people on the Island on behalf of the La Posada Foundation and the Padre Island Yacht club,” Seefeldt said. The Marines will distribute the collected toys to kids in the Coastal Bend and also purchase thousands more with the $18,000. “It took all of them, the people and businesses involved in La Posada, and their caring hearts to make a great year for children.” Seefeldt said. Hats off to the La Posada Foundation and to the Padre Island Yacht Club for organizing these incredible events. Merry Christmas to all!

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December 15, 2016

Island Moon

Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder

Letters to the Editor

“Texas lawmakers will have enormous opportunities in 2017 to make meaningful and enduring improvements to the lives of older Texans,” said Jackson. “AARP will be a strong voice for consumers and older Texans as we work with legislators and Governor Greg Abbott on a host of issues that matter most to Texans.” Here’s an overview of some of the issues that we’re discussing with legislators:

Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery

Southside Academic Campus

Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Classifieds Arlene Ritley Production Manager Abigail Bair Contributing Writers Joey Farah Andy Purvis Mary Craft Christiansen Jay Gardner Todd Hunter Dotson Lewis Ronnie Narmour Brent Rourk Photographers Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Ronnie Narmour Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus) Riley P. Dog

Publisher Dale Rankin About the Island Moon

The Island Moon is published every Thursday, Dale Rankin, Editor / Publisher. Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses. News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office.

The Island Moon Newspaper 14646 Compass, Suite 3 Corpus Christi, TX 78418 361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper

Where to Find The Island Moon Port Aransas Lisabella’s Restaurant Pioneer RV Park

Sandpiper Condos WB Liquors Port A Arts

North Padre

Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A

All Stripes Stores

A Mano

Angry Marlin

Coffee Waves

CVS

Moby Dicks

Whataburger

Spanky’sLiquor

Doc’s Restaurant

IGA Grocery Store

Snoopy’s Pier Isle Mail N More

Carter Pharmacy

Island Italian

San Juan’s Taqueria

Brooklyn Pie Co.

Wash Board Laundry Mat

Holiday Inn

Ace Hardware

Port A Parks and Rec

Texas Star (Shell)

Public Library

Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant

Chamber of Commerce Duckworth Antiques Back Porch Woody’s Sports Center

Jesse’s Liquor

Subway Island Tire And all Moon retail advertisers WB Liquor

Shorty’s Place

Flour Bluff

Giggity’s

H.E.B.

Stripes @ Cotter & Station Gratitude Gift Shop Keepers Pier House Port A Glass Studio The Gaff

Liquid Town Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID

The new Southside Leadership Council's first supportive motion calls for the official name of Del Mar 'Southside Academic Campus'. The Texas 'Higher Education Junior College District' law has two key statements, one as to 'jobs programs' for which congratulations and support is given to President Mark Escamilla and the other that states "Each institution shall insist on excellence in all academic areas-institution, research, public service." With the 2016 bond election focused on Architect Gensler's superb physical design, vital now is Southside being developed as an 'academic campus' to benefit academic students from District Four Ray, King, Veterans Memorial, Flour Bluff and others to truly prepare hem for TAMU-CC and TAMU-Kingsville Junior/senior years and graduate/professional school. With Dr. Beth Lewis recent appointment as Del Mar's Provost/VP Instruction and also hopefully with appointment of a needed true Southside Academic Dean, the Del Mar Board and Administration need move forward to restore Del Mar's academic quality at the Southside campus with academic programs based on 'academic standards', not 'political standards' that would create a third 'mediocre campus.' In June, 2011, business organizations from Padre Island, Flour Bluff, Southside, and Northwest adopted the Higher Education Resolution calling for a a Southside 'academic campus.' But, there was for eighteen months during the Southside campus planning no involved Provost/VP Instruction, no Board Academic Committee, and no academic faculty leadership. Dr. Lewis, the new academic Dean, Board Academic Committee, and academic faculty leaders are needed now to develop the Southside campus academically beginning with avoidance of 'serious academic damage' by shifting the West Campus GED/Developmental programs to East Campus, not Southside. Southside 'academic students' need be truly prepared with ten academic proposals: (1) Southside Academic Campus with strong academic programs and Ph.D faculty guided by the academic Provost, academic Dean, Board Academic Committee, faculty academic leaders, and the Del Mar guiding principle 'promote academic excellence.' (2) recruitment/promotion of academic students guided by academic advocates from Padre Island to Northwest and CC Bay to Oso Creek to become well educated future leaders in area businesses, professions, government, education, and civic organizations;' (3) evaluation of each A&S Department faculty and student talent and progress; (4) divide A&S into two divisions with 'honors/advance placement' classes; (5) Saturday high school academic competitions to attract academic students; (6) week-end College for academic students working full time; (7) community leadership program to comply with the state statute; (8) cultural program expansion, particularly debate for Southside academic students; (9) culinary arts/conditioning programs with diet/exercise emphasis to reduce obesity; (10) Graduate/Professional School Foundation to support Southside academic students.

Nursing Home Quality and Safety: Texans deserve high-quality care for their loved ones. Unfortunately, the quality of care in Texas nursing homes -- where roughly 93,000 people currently reside -- is below par and the potential for harm to nursing home residents is too great. AARP supports a number of reforms that would hold the state’s 1,200+ nursing homes accountable for harming residents, enforce and escalate penalties for repeat offenses, and help Texas regain control of nursing home regulation.

Family Caregivers: • CARE Act. More than 3 million Texans are caring for a parent, spouse or other loved one as an unpaid caregiver. AARP Texas urges lawmakers to enact the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act. The proposal would ensure that caregivers know what to do to safely look after a loved one as they transition home after a hospital stay. • Respite Programs. AARP Texas supports funding for programs that give caregivers a break to visit the doctor themselves, go to the store or attend a child’s school program. It’s an important and cost-effective way to help caregivers look after their own physical and emotional health. • Home- and Community-based care services. These services enable seniors and those with disabilities to get the care they need without being forced into a costly nursing home. Funding home and community care services and paying a fair wage to the attendants who provide this care helps older Texans age in place, staying in their own homes longer. Retirement Security: To encourage individual responsibility in saving, AARP Texas supports a legislative “work and save” proposal that would create a website to connect employers and workers with low-cost savings plans that allow voluntary payroll deduction and let workers take their savings to their next job. Action is needed because today more than 5 million Texans don’t have access to a workplace savings plan. Elder Financial Exploitation: Texas lawmakers can reduce this growing type of elder abuse in the state by creating more community coordination centers to help exploitation victims, strengthening adult protective services laws, and training and empowering financial professionals to identify and stop potential exploitation before it happens. Surprise Medical Bills: AARP Texas seeks to protect people from surprise medical bills because the unexpected costs can drive even insured families into financial hardship. The Legislature can work to keep consumers out of medical billing disputes between insurers and doctors, and it can allow patients of neighborhood emergency clinics the right to challenge surprise medical bills. Rafael Ayuso AARP

By Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com

Business Briefs People often tell me they wish there were more restaurants on the Island so I did a count. I was surprised to discover that there are 25 and the best part is they are all individually owned. The 25 does not include the four fast food restaurants, the donut, yogurt and coffee shop. If you wish to enjoy a beverage at a bar there are 18 places here to do so. So how well do you know our Island - can you name them all? Island Lost Pet Solution - The tile key finder can also be used as a pet finder - just slip it on their collar. The range is about half a city block so probably more practical for a cat hiding nearby than a dog. A Winter Wonderland at the American Bank Center provides an arena for ice skating on December 21st and 22nd 4 – 6 pm and 7 – 9 pm for a $10 cash admission fee. Proceeds go to Bikes for Kids. The South Texas Grassroots Band will not start playing on Sundays at Island Italian until January 8th. Registration is open for the annual Whooping Crane Festival scheduled for February 23-26, 2017 in Port Aransas, Texas and it fills up fast. Attendees will have the opportunity to take guided boat tours to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge to view the world’s last naturally-occurring population of Whooping Cranes on their wintering grounds. Additional festival activities include interactive workshops and seminars, a painting and wine tasting class, a free naturerelated trade show, and a family birding field trip. Ridetride.com and getme.com have over 60 legally operating drivers in the city in time for you to enjoy the holiday parties without worrying about the driving. New Year’s Eve Bahn Bash 8 pm – 1 am includes a heavy hors d’oeuvres buffet, complimentary midnight champagne toast and music provided by the Flashback Band. Tickets are $60/person and $125/couple and resort stay with tickets are $169-$189. The Boathouse New Year’s Eve Party has dinner packages available with steak, lobster tail, side items and bottle of wine $100 for two guests and $55 for one. Call 589-9601 for reservations. They will be open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 10 am – 2 am. 2017 Beach Permits are now for sale and you get an extra few weeks if you purchase them now. From the Medical Center: “We are pleased to announce that The Medical Center is about to expand services on The Island. Contrary to inaccurate rumors circulating we are not closing our doors but rather we are in process of expanding our physical facility, expanding our hours and services that we provide. Dr Dorrell and his Staff are looking forward to bringing better lab, radiology services and expanding our Medical Staff with highly trained physicians. We are excited about our expansion-upgrade and hope you will continue to patronize our facility which has the highest level of medical care on The Island and surrounding area.

Horrible Holiday Humor Q: What do you call an elf who sings? A: a wrapper! Q: Why is Christmas just like your job? A: You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit. Q: Why is Santa so jolly? A: Because he knows where all the naughty girls live. Q: Whats the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet?

Sent from my iPad Guy Watts, JD/Ph.D Co-Chair Southside Leadership Council (District 4-5)

A: The Christmas alphabet has Noel. Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?

Moon is Hard to See

A: Claustrophobic.

Your internet image of the paper used to be clear and crisp and easy to read. Now it is fuzzy and hard to read.

Q: Why was Santa's little helper depressed? A: Because he had low elf esteem.

Lee Amundson

Q: What's the difference between snowmen and snowladies?

AARP Texas Presents Legislative Priorities for 2017

A: Snowballs. Q: What nationality is Santa Claus? A: North Polish.

When state lawmakers convene next month for the 2017 legislative session, AARP Texas will pursue an agenda that includes strengthening nursing home quality, easing stress for family caregivers, helping millions of Texans save for retirement, and protecting seniors from financial exploitation.

Q: What do you call a kid who doesn't believe in Santa? A: A rebel without a Claus. Q: What do you call Santa's helpers? A: Subordinate clauses

The 4 stages of life:

AARP’s non-partisan Texas legislative priorities also include a focus on eliminating surprise medical bills, and advocating for the age 50+ community to ensure that insurance costs are reasonable, coverage is reliable, and utility services are affordable and dependable.

1. You believe in Santa Claus 2. You don't believe in Santa Claus 3. You dress up as Santa Claus 4. You look like Santa Claus

The 85th Texas Legislature starts Jan. 10 and will address a host of major budget and policy considerations that are sure to have significant impact on older Texans. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership of nearly 38 million, including 2.3 million Texans age 50 and older. AARP Texas Director Bob Jackson and Advocacy Manager Rob Schneider will lead a team of policy experts who know their way around the Capitol. Among them are: Amanda Fredriksen, Tim Morstad, Joe Sánchez, and Blake Hutson. In addition, any number of AARP volunteers like Charlene James, the AARP Texas president, will

Did Ya Hear?

often be present during the 140-day session.

Send letters and photos to editor@islandmoon.com Facebook:

The Island Moon Newspaper

Wartime cont. from A1

Coast guard enlisted men patrolling the beaches of Padre Island during the Second World War.

•

$2 million of that amount is spent on traditional advertising

•

98% of Corpus Christi visitors are from Texas

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2% of Corpus Christi visitors are from out of state

•

30 million people in Texas see highway billboards advertising Corpus Christi each year

•

1.4 million people use the CVB sites on social media

•

4% of the visitors to the CVB social media sites click and explore the site

•

$4.1 million is the advertising value of the CVB social media sites

•

87% of area visitors use the web to plan their trip

•

62% growth in the number of local visitors in the month of December from 2009-2015

•

9.3 million “visitor stays” in Corpus Christi in 2015

Lake Padre cont. from A1

example 500-pounders), and typically half of their weight would be explosive. With the construction of the targets also came the need to service and repair them and naval personnel had to perform this duty. Initially, crews had to travel by boat to reach many of the targets, but eventually a housing facility known as Caffey barracks was built. Caffey barracks is still on the island and now serves as the ranger station.

Submarines Aerial bombing was not the only military activity on the island during the war. By 1942 German submarines had established a presence in the Gulf of Mexico and there was concern that they would be used to infiltrate spies or saboteurs into the country, as was common in that day. The Gulf Coast, with its numerous oil fields and shipyards, offered many potential targets for all three. Consequently the U.S. Coast Guard started patrolling Padre Island, along with the rest of the U.S. coastline, with men, horses, and dogs. By 1943, nine patrol stations were established on Padre Island. There is no indication that spies or saboteurs ever landed on the island, but there was plenty of evidence of U-boat activity against shipping in the debris which washed up on the shore. Between 194243 33 Allied ships were sunk and 434 lives were lost. As the war progressed U-boat losses grew and bombing of U-boat support and production facilities in Europe increased. As a result the submarine threat in the Gulf of Mexico ended by 1944 and Coast Guard patrols stopped. Navy training and bombing continued though, through the end of the war.

Padre Island Was Almost An Atomic Bomb Site:

South Padre Island was one of eight sites that the U.S. Military considered as a place to explode the first atomic bomb. And it actually came down to about three sites that were pretty high on the list: one was in California, one was the Alamagordo site in New Mexico and the other one was South Padre Island. Padre Island had been used as a gunnery range for the Army Air Corps. Not only was the island itself remote it was located adjacent to the King Ranch which was also, at that time, nearly one million acres of undeveloped land. Eventually the decision was made to explode the first atomic bomb in New Mexico.

December 15, 2016

Island Moon

Bulkhead material awaiting installation.

BBB’s Naughty List: Top Holiday Scams

By Kelly Trevino

Regional Director, Corpus Christi Better Business Bureau The holiday season free and look for gift cards that come in an certainly makes most of us unopened, plastic container. Also, beware of feel merry and bright, but it can also bring out pop-up ads or emails offering free gift cards. scammers looking to take advantage of you. 4. Fake e-cards. Like gift cards, electronic Santa isn’t the only one keeping track of who cards can be great, but be careful. Two red is naughty and nice: Better Business Bureau flags to watch out for when dealing with serving Central, Coastal, Southwest Texas and E-cards: the sender’s name is not apparent the Permian Basin is advising consumers to and/or you are required to share additional watch out for scams and frauds this holiday information to receive the card. season. 5. Temporary holiday jobs. Retailers and Here is a list of BBB’s top five scams: delivery services need extra help at the 1. Fake websites promising fake deals. holidays, but beware of solicitations that Some scammers will send fake emails or require you to share personal information advertisements promising unheard of deals online or to pay a fee for a job lead or for a product, leading you to a fake (or lookapplication. Apply in person or go to the alike) website that steals your credit card retailers’ main website to find out who is information when you try to check out. Also, hiring, and if they’re really hiring. beware of fake shipping notifications that Another scam that has been trending is the could have attachments of links included in “social media gift exchange” scam. The gift the email that will download malware on your exchange happens on Facebook and sounds computer to steal passwords and personal like a great deal: you buy one gift and get 36 information. Protect yourself by staying away in return. But it’s really just a variation on a from deals that are too good to be true and pyramid scheme and is illegal. check the URL to make sure it’s legitimate. In addition to these scams, your BBB advises 2. Santa letter scheme. While some donors to be careful when giving during legitimate companies sell letters from Santa the holidays, and beware of fake charities. Claus, some scammers are using this idea Scammers take advantage of those looking to to steal credit card and personal information donate with fake charity solicitations in email, from unsuspecting consumers. When looking on social media sites and even by text message. for a customized letter, research different Check out charities at give.org before donating companies and go to their sites straight from and for more “wise giving” tips. your browser, not from emails or social For more consumer information, BBB media. Check with bbb.org to find out which Business Reviews or to file a complaint, visit ones are trustworthy. your local Better Business Bureau online at 3. Fake gift cards. Gift cards are the most bbb.org/central-texas. popular holiday gift, but also the most Kelly Trevino is the Regional Director for the susceptible to fraud. Criminals will go to Corpus Christi office of Better Business Bureau a store and record the activation code on serving Central, Coastal, Southwest Texas and a gift card. After checking if the gift card the Permian Basin. Kelly is available for media is still valid online, fraudsters can use the interviews and speaking engagements. You can online code to cash the gift card for resalable reach her by phone: (361) 945-7352 or email: products. Before buying, make sure the ktrevino@corpuschristi.bbb.org. security code on the gift card is scratch-

Canal leading to the east side of the water exchange bridge site.

Finished bulkhead

The wooden forms are removed after the bulkheads are installed. Future marina site

Post-War Use of Padre Island as a bombing range continued through the Korean Conflict and into the 1960's. The range was decommissioned in 1966 and the Navy sent out ordinance experts to sanitize the ranges of all unexploded ordinance. The sand at the targets was sifted down to a level of 18 inches using heavy equipment and the bombs removed. Unfortunately, long after the ranges were closed unexploded ordinance was still being found on occasion and some souvenir hunters were injured by improperly handling munitions, whose explosive charges had become increasingly unstable as time had passed. Unexploded ordinance still turns up, albeit very infrequently.

The PVC bulkheads are then covered with wooden planks and then covered with a cap.

The marina site looking south.

Numbers cont. from A1 •

7% is divided among various local organiztions

•

44% of that 7% ($1.6 million) goes to the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau

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20% of all visitors to Corpus Christi come as part of a group

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80% of all visitors to Corpus Christi who come as individuals

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80% of visitors to Coastal Bend are for recreation and outdoor attractions (beaches)

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2% Decrease in visitors in 2016 compared to 2015

•

30 days. Any visitor leasing for more than thirty days does not pay HOT

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1 San Antonio has more visitors to the Coastal Bend than any other city

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10% of Coastal Bend visitors who came from Houston in 2006

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17% of local visitors now come from Houston

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$1.3 billion in tourism related spending in the Coastal Bend in 2015

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$2.7 million is the annual CVB advertising budget, all of which is spent in Texas

The finished project.

The surface area of Lake Padre has been greatly expanded. The lake will be dredged to a minimum of eight feet. The bulkheads leading to the east side of the bridge site are complete

Send letters and photos to editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper

December 15, 2016

Island Moon

Stuff I Heard on the Island By Dale Rankin It didn’t take long for the usual line of complainers to line up at Corpus Christi City Hall Tuesday to lay old complaints and problems in front of a new audience. It also didn’t take long to see that new council has a very different outlook on problem solving. It seems safe to say all previous assumptions are out and a new set of analytics are in at city hall. Some of the speakers trotted out time-worn and coma- inducing, often mirthful, points that fell on deaf ears with the previous council – some for good reason – while others made good points that need addressing. It’s the way issues were addressed that is new. First up is the weekly complaint from the same guy about some palm trees somewhere that block a sidewalk and the trees are growing without a permit. It turns out the trees don’t care. Then a lady who got a ticket for a dead car in her driveway spent “over $740” to get it running only to have city inspectors tow it away and now she can’t afford to get it out of the pound.

Tides of the Week Tides for Bob Hall Pier December 15- December 22

Day

High /Low

Tide Time

Height in Feet

Sunrise Moon Time Sunset

Low

9:20 AM

-0.7

7:12 AM

Set 8:39 AM

High 6:16 PM

1.9

5:37 PM

Rise 7:46 PM

Low

-0.6

7:13 AM

Set 9:33 AM

High 7:01 PM

1.7

5:37 PM

Rise 8:48 PM

Low

-0.4

7:13 AM

Set 10:22 AM

High 7:38 PM

1.6

5:37 PM

Rise 9:49 PM

Low

-0.1

7:14 AM

Set 11:06 AM

High 8:05 PM

1.4

5:38 PM

Rise 10:47 PM

Low

0.1

7:14 AM

Set 11:46 AM

High 8:25 PM

1.3

5:38 PM

Rise 11:43 PM

Low

3:42 AM

0.7

7:15 AM

Set 12:23 PM

High 7:04 AM

0.8

5:39 PM

Low

1:38 PM

0.4

10:10 AM

11:00 AM

11:50 AM

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High 8:41 PM

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7:15 AM

Rise 12:36 AM

High 9:21 AM

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5:39 PM

Set 12:58 PM

Low

2:53 PM

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4:13 AM

High 8:56 PM

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4:47 AM

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7:16 AM

Rise 1:29 AM

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12:16 PM

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5:40 PM

Set 1:33 PM

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4:35 PM

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Then a lady whose husband is a disabled veteran explained in great detail how city inspectors issued building permits for buildings all over town without requiring handicap access as required by state and federal law. She read a list of the violating buildings and cited the merry-go-round of bureaucratic buck passing that keeps bringing her back to the council. The last council ignored her but I doubt this one will. She was followed by Margareta Fratila’s continuing push to do away with the city’s red light camera contract by asking that the city refuse to collect the fines which send $1.9 million each year to the owners of the cameras in Arizona – more money than the city collects. Keep it up Margareta, maybe the new guys will listen. Welcome to City Hall everybody.

95 89 81 72 62

First Indian into the fort The Consent Agenda which normally is done with one quick motion and an even quicker vote was turned into a step-by-step process Tuesday. Granted some of the questions fell into the category of new council people coming up to speed, that’s to be expected. But what was heartening was that nothing was taken for granted. The questioning of long-running assumptions seems to me to be a pretty good place to start. For instance. The Police Department had the bad luck of being the first Indian into the fort asking to renew a contract in the amount of $6620 per month to lease one hundred and fifty parking spaces on private property adjacent to the downtown police station. City ordinances require more spaces than the city owns and the previous contracts had been in place all the way back to 1988. Under normal circumstances the item would have been approved without discussion. Instead, new Mayor Dan McQueen pointed out that over the combined terms of the old contracts and including the new proposed five-year contract the city could have likely paid for the land instead of leasing it in perpetuity. Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn asked what the value of land is – unknown – and asked if the property owner might be willing to trade cityowned land elsewhere for the parking lot. All good questions. New District 4 Councilman Greg Smith pointed out that under the proposed TripleNet Contract the city is required “to pay a 60% share of the total monthly lot expenditure which includes landscape maintenance, any

parking surface repairs, utilities (electricity, water, etc.), and property taxes in addition to the fixed rent.” So on top of the lease fee listed in the proposed contract city taxpayers are footing the bill for upkeep and improvement – not to mention property taxes – on privatelyowned land. Here’s betting that isn’t the only contract at City Hall in which taxpayers get the short end of that stick. The contract was finally approved after Smith, not the city staff, pointed out the contract language gives the city the right to terminate the contract on six-months’ notice after the first year, meaning it is really only an eighteen-month contract giving the city a yearand a half to come up with a better plan. Three weeks ago this $400,000 in tax dollars would have flown out the door without so much as a discussion. That counts as progress in my book.

$3 million in one hour Then the talk turned to the city’s aging Wastewater Treatment System as staff, as per plans set out by the previous council, asked for $3 million for improvements to an existing treatment plant. “We’re one hour into this new council and we’re already into $3 million in spending,” McQueen said. “Do these improvements fit into our overall Wastewater Management Plan?” Which has been presented to the previous council but not approved. “Our concern is spending $3 million on a plant we may decide to shut down,” District 5 Councilman Rudy Garza said. Ultimately the money was approved because the plant is leaking raw sewage during heavy rains and will likely fit the new plans, but the pushback was there; a refreshing questioning of suppositions. Look for this council to question the proposed Wastewater Management Plan as well which carries a cost of upwards of $800 million.

1000-year plan Next up was streets. “The plan we have has some serious gaps,” McQueen pointed out. “For instance according to these numbers this plan will take one thousand years to fix all the streets in this town.” That’s a long time. They asked the staff to take bids on both asphalt and concrete for two test streets. McQueen also instructed the staff to cost out the idea of the city creating its own street material rather than contracting it to outside firms. It’s a good question to ask if you’re about to spend upwards of a $1 billion dollars on streets.

“We need an accounting” Then it was the turn of the American Bank Center which along with the Convention Center swallows up $8 million in Hotel Occupancy Tax money every year along with annual operational tax dollars as well. The request for $104,857.32 to fix elevators in five city buildings, one of which is the American Bank Center, ran into a buzzsaw. The money was approved, but with the caveat from Ms. Vaughn that the council be presented with a complete accounting of all the money generated by the ABC and all the city money being expended there every year. My only question is why this wasn’t done before. Keep in mind that all of this was in the first hour and a half of the tenure of a council with five new members. The previous council addressed some long-term problems which they inherited, but their solutions involved raising more money with spending cuts not part of the equation. What I saw Tuesday tells me this council is different than any I have seen before. It looks like some healthy skepticism is in the wind and if so I think we are in good hands and it couldn’t come at a more auspicious time.

Send letters and photos to editor@islandmoon.com One Bite and You’re Hooked! All You Can Eat Fried Shrimp Wednesdays 5 - Close Prime Rib Thursdays 5 - Until They're Gone Mini Golf Great Food

The new Corpus Christi City Council was sworn in Tuesday at City Hall. Photo by Debbie Noble

Seafood, Steaks, Salads, Burgers & Full Bar Open 11am - 2am • Kitchen Closes at 1am 2034 State Hwy 361

361-749-TACO (8226)

Send letters and photos to editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper

Women Heroes of War By Dotson Lewis Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s Note: Many courageous women in extraordinary cruelty. In the first book the all wars have fought the enemy. The following enemy was Nazi Germany, which notoriously article relates few of their stories. Noelle Swan, brutalized most of Europe. David Hugh Smith & Wikipedia contributed to The European stories are more satisfying this article. because they are less about survival under

Claire Phillips During World War II the Japanese war machine

incomprehensibly inhumane conditions, and more about women taking action against the bad guys. And although Atwood wisely tries to prevent the Pacific stories “from being too graphic,” she leaves in enough description to disturb some readers.

That said, this book is a noble effort, and worth reading if one is prepared for grisly details. Atwood also shares the broader history of the war in the Pacific in an introduction that nicely encapsulates what everyone should know. In just a few pages, she tells how in the 1850s the Americans forced Japan to sign trade agreements. And how, after World War I, although Japan fought on the side of the western Allies, it was forced to sign humiliating treaties that restricted its power in the Far East. Ultimately, Fascists took control of Japan, and in the 1930s they began a campaign to seize Chinese territory. This reader is especially grateful for Atwood’s description of the end of the war and the surrender of Japan, understanding better how President Harry Truman was persuaded to unleash catastrophic horror by dropping two nuclear bombs on Japan.

Claire Phillips occupied many countries. In Manilla, the capital city of the Philippines, a glamorous American named Claire Phillips daily risked her life, spying for the Allies and providing aid to captives of the Japanese. Instead of remaining safely on the sidelines, she pretended to be Italian, and opened a nightclub that catered to the Japanese. Before she was discovered and imprisoned, she shared intelligence she charmed out of the Japanese, intelligence that enabled the destruction of a flotilla of Japanese submarines. And she used her earnings to supply food and medicine to starving American soldiers. Claire Maybelle Snyder (December 2, 1907 – May 22, 1960), also known as Clara Fuentes, Clara Phillips, Dorathy Fuentes as well as High Pockets, was an American spy, entertainer, club owner, and author most noted for her exploits in the Japanese-occupied Philippines. She was portrayed by Ann Dvorak in the 1951 movie I Was an American Spy. She was also the author of Manila Espionage, a book about her wartime experiences. In 1951, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom.

Elizabeth Choy Meanwhile, in Singapore, Elizabeth Choy and her husband helped run a canteen. Despite witnessing the ruthless violence with which Japanese forces treated civilians who did not cooperate, they agreed to become a link between British prisoners and the outside world. The two relayed notes, and helped get food to the severely undernourished men. Elizabeth Choy When the Japanese became suspicious, they imprisoned Mrs. Choy and her husband. Despite horrific treatment in captivity, she refused to confess to sabotage. Elizabeth Choy (29 November 1910 – 14 September 2006), birth name Yong Su-Moi, OBE, was a Singaporean educator and councilor who is regarded as a war heroine in Singapore. Along with her husband, Choy Khun Heng, she supplied medicine, money and messages to prisoners-of-war interned in Changi Prison when Japanese-occupied Singapore during World War II.

What all of Atwood’s stories have in common is an unwillingness by women to stand down in the face of grave injustice – or seek safety to save their own lives. Instead, they resisted. And they inspire.

What Do You Know About US Women In War? A year after the Pentagon lifted the ban on women in combat; US women are still fighting to prove they can serve alongside their male counterparts. Since the days of the Revolutionary War,

Anecdotingly

Burgled

ByAbigail Bair Last Sunday night, at around midnight, someone broke into my garage and stole my awesome Schwinn trike and a very nice cooler. When I say, “broke in” I mean they opened the gate at the back of my property, walked around the house, opened the garage door and went inside. Seems like it was a fairly easy job. I suppose it’s a blessing that there’s no evidence that the crooks tap danced their way through it. My dog Stadler (the world’s only hydrophobic black Lab and former home security professional), tried to warn me by barking, but Stadler has a tendency to sound the alarm in non-emergent situations like: another dog is being walked by the house, a truck is stopped at one of the four stops signs on the corner, an errant leaf is blowing across the driveway, or SQUIRRELS ARE EVERYWHERE! I’m not sure how to communicate human emergency prioritization to a dog, but there have been several conversations this week about the problem. We’re not making much headway. Monday morning, I discovered the crime because the thieves messed up my garage door on the way out. After pressing the button to open the door 37 times, I quickly ascertained that it wasn’t functional. They had switched the door to manual while finishing the heist. Missing items were noted, parents (the Rev and the Great Provider) were informed and the cops were called. An officer arrived in about an hour. He looked around, rolled his eyes at my “home security” (Stadler), who tried to lick his hand affectionately in return. He told me that even though the cops have a pretty good idea who’s committing the rash of burglaries in my neighborhood, they’re much too understaffed to do anything about it. He said the department is short 100 – 125 full time officers. The G.P. spent the rest of the day installing new and interesting security measures around the property. Super locks went up on all the doors and gates. Screeching, one zillion decibel alarms went on every door and window. Stadler lost the use of her dog door. I knocked on the steel insert by way of explanation saying, “Buddy, don’t ram into this.” She acted like she understood right up until she heard a squirrel outside and almost concussed herself trying to go say hello (our yard squirrels are so fat and glossy that I suspect she’s sneaking them dog food).

The weird turn pro

Congressional Medal of Honor however, American women have voluntarily put their lives on the line for their country as they navigated battlefields to tend to wounded soldiers, penetrated enemy lines to gather intelligence, and disguised their identities to fight alongside men. Here is an unannounced quiz… 1. Which fictional character urged American women to take up factory jobs abandoned by men fighting in World War II? Uncle Sam; Rosie the Riveter; Captain America; Betty Boop? 2. During which war was legendary figure Molly Pitcher said to have delivered pitchers of water to men in battle? Revolutionary War; Spanish American War; Civil War; War of 1812? 4. Mary Edwards Walker was the first and only woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor? Which president signed the bill granting her the award? Abraham Lincoln; Ulysses S. Grant; Andrew Johnson; Robert E. Lee? 5. Lt. Cmdr. Darlene Iskra was the first female naval officer to command a ship at sea. What was the name of her ship?

After a day of beefing up home security, my gigantic key wad rivaled that of a high school janitor. One would think that all the new security on top of the old, dysfunctional system (which was essentially a few locks and an 80 pound loud, fuzzy love torpedo) would allow one to feel a sense of calm comfort in their home. Yeah. Not me. As the night descended, I became increasingly paranoid. Sleep was impossible, even though I was utterly emotionally and physically exhausted. Here is a brief timeline of the evening’s events:

Readers of these books must be prepared for accounts that thrillingly inspire, but potentially sadden to tears. Some stories are very grim, and not appropriate for early teens. Several stories end with the death of the hero – but not before she’d helped others to live, and weakened the forces of evil. In this book, the enemy is Japan, which was allied with Germany and Italy. Its military treated civilians in the countries they conquered – and captured Western fighters – with

3:23: Cussing. 3:30: Find keys on BBQ grill. Re-enter house. Locks. Alarm. Decibels. Double check. 4:00: Still waiting for incursion. Have almost worked myself up to accepting that they’re definitely going to come into my house and make off with all my stuff. Considering that I furnished my place with other people’s trash (garage sales) and that the net value of all my junk is approximately $83.32 at the pawn shop, what I’m really worried about is that if further burglaries occur, I won’t be able to sleep for a year. 4:23: Fall into fugue state. Waves of paranoia intermingle with hallucinations of me finally getting to yell at people who park poorly. 5:31: Alarm clock beeps. Emerge from blanket cocoon and prepare to go to the gym. Unlock 370, 000 locks, successfully disable screechers without getting nailed, happy with self, am security genius, head to garage, disable alarms, unlock door (feeling of total pride at successfully navigating the maze). Narrowly avoid death by murder shovel. It’s been several days and awful nights since. I haven’t had time to dig the Stadler-proof tiger trap, but I have been secretly sharpening bamboo in preparation. The murder shovel is still armed, although I’m beginning to wonder what accidentally (cough) decapitating a thief is going to do to my insurance premiums. The only thing I’m sure of is that it’s definitely too late to put up a “Beware of Dog” sign. Even the squirrels don’t buy it.

10:30: Lock re-check. Unlock locks to make sure locks are locking. Re-lock locks. Head back to bed, but have to turn around because none of the screechers went off. Unlock locks. Open door. Get hit in face with a gazillion decibels. Close door. Re-lock locks. 11:00: Still can’t sleep, but don’t want to go check locks again. Contemplate further security improvements. Midnight: Still awake, listening intently for the sound of crooks slinking around the property. Consider taking sleeping bag and shotgun and

Former security professional seeks gainful employment.

Padre Island Real Estate Ticker November 16 - November 30

By Cindy Molnar Coldwell Banker Island Realtors

Waterfront Homes Sold

War production workers at the Heil Company making gasoline trailer tanks in Milwaukee, Wis. for the US Army Air Corps. Enola O'Connell, age thirty-two, widow and mother of one child, welding part of a trailer.

In ‘Women Heroes of World War II: The Pacific Theater,’ Kathryn J. Atwood tells “15 Stories of Resistance, Rescue, Sabotage, and Survival.” Ms. Atwood published a similar book in 2011 about woman during World War II in Europe.

2:00: Increased security a must. Begin installing new units. Wedges go under doors (which sets off alarms and causes more decibels in face). Begin considering other weak spots. Decide that yard security needs some help. Unlock doors, set off alarm, disable alarm, head into yard with keys and flashlight, locking door behind me. Definitely need to eliminate hand holds on fence. Definitely need Stadlerproof tiger trap. Head to garage to get shovel. Unlock door. Set off door alarm AND motion alarm. Disable alarms. Get shovel. Realize that it’s now 3:00 a.m., visibility is nil and that digging a tiger trap may be a tiny bit of an overreach. Note shovel in hand. Design burglar trap in garage that consists of shovel hanging from rafters, rigged so that if the door opens shovel hits burglar in face. Feel very Indiana Jones. Arm shovel. Close door. Lock door. Re-arm motion detector and door alarm. Double check everything (predictably get a gajillion decibels right to the face twice). Head to backdoor to reenter house. Can’t find keys.

9:08: Begin the cycle of existential dread. Note Stadler sleeping soundly on end of bed. Get jealous of dog.

Your thoughts regarding this or any articles appearing in The Island Moon are greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading and commenting on Senior Moments. I can be reached at: dlewis1@stx.rr.com and/or Land Line: 361-949-7681 Cell: 530-748-8475. Hang in there/Have fun!

Interior Lot Homes/Condominiums and Duplexes 15125 Leeward #14

13722 Tajamar

15209 S. Padre Island Dr. #204

15309 Cavarel

14901 Windward #703

15638 Three Fathoms Bank

Average Sales Price $209,133

15310 Bowsprit

118 Interior Lot Townhomes/ Condominiums/Duplex’s Listed From $87,000-$389,000

15393 Caravel Average Sales Price $403,842 79 Waterfront Homes Listed From $250,000-$3,500,000

Interior Lot Homes Sold Dotson’s Other Note: You will find the answers in next week’s issue of The Moon. If you don’t know all of the answers, I suggest you do a little research (surf the internet), it will do you good…it’s something you may have done very little of in a past life, it was called “homework.”

Condominium/Duplex’s Listed From $68,500-$529,000

14113 Atascadera

13634 Gunwale

Good Reading

crawling up into the rafters of the garage and waiting for them. Dismiss idea because unsure of location of sleeping bag. Maybe in garage? Convinced thieves are inevitably returning. Must be ready.

9:00 First attempt at heading to bed. Check all 370,000 locks. Looks good. Start over and check them again. Arm screechers. Test screechers by unlocking locks and opening doors and windows. Get hit in face 370,000 times with a gajillion decibels. Disarm and rearm screechers. Re-lock locks. Re-check locks to make sure locks are ACTUALLY locked.

USS Enterprise; USS Wisconsin; USS Intrepid; USS Opportune?

Until Recently Men In Wartime Took Almost All The Starring Roles. They were the heroes who risked their lives in battle. But even before the 21st century, when the US and other Western countries have started giving women larger combat roles, there are abundant examples of women demonstrating courage and strength in wartime.

December 15, 2016

Island Moon

Senior Moments

13841 Flintlock

Waterfront Lots 47 Waterfront Lots Listed From $129,900-$6,000,000 Interior Lots Sold

15021 Tesoro

14701 Dasmarinas

15914 Cozumel

14705 Dasmarinas

14829 Quarterdeck

14329 Scallop

14145 Palo Seco

15961 Palmira

13634 Catamaran Average Sales Price $255,166 83 Interior Lot Homes Listed From $199,000-$434,900

Waterfront Condomiums/Townhomes Sold 14878 Granada #503 A107 Waterfront Townhomes/

Average Sales Price $46,000 70 Interior Lot Listed From $39,900$150,000 Commercial Lots 23 Commercial Lots Listed From $49,900-$4,557,465

December 15, 2016

Island Moon

Coffee Roaster Brings Fresh Java to the Island

Island Moon on a Spoon

Brie En Croute with Onion and Mushroom Jam

Roastorium - Roasted Beans from Around the World “Adventure in life is good; consistency in coffee even better.” ~Justina Chen, North of Beautiful Java, Joe, Brew, Mud, Coffee – most of us cannot live without it, no matter how hard we try. We spend considerable amounts of our hard earned income on coffee; including coffee makers, espresso machines, expensive cups at coffee houses, and all of the paraphernalia that goes with the coffee culture. Many hopelessly addicted coffee lovers drink regular, off the shelf brands of coffee while others try to find exceptional coffees from different areas of the globe. Enter: Spencer Weber and his new, local coffee roasting company Roastorium. Importing an extensive array of fresh coffee beans from around the world, roasting them here in Corpus, and then promptly stocking the shelves of some lucky outlets, including Island outlets Padre Island Mail Plus and A La Mode Gelateria, Weber is determined to provide world class coffee to Corpus Christi. After 14 years of roasting an impressive range of different coffees, he has finely tuned his roasting skills to create a variety of rich, tasty, and unique coffees that are sure to make you come back for more.

scientists have been able to group these reactions into broad classes, there is much in coffee roasting that we simply do not fully understand. Furthermore, coffee is a crop, and each coffee from each farm from each different region of the world contains different amounts of different substances.”

The Perfect Roast? “Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, COFFEE and acceptance…The SIX stages of waking up!!” ~ Tanya Masse Much is said about a perfect cup of coffee and in the end it is undoubtedly up to the drinker to decide, however, branching out and trying different coffees and roasts will certainly broaden ones tastes. Weber commented on the perfect roast, “There is no such thing as a perfect roast for all coffee. This is a good thing! It means that the flavors from well-roasted, fresh coffee can be exquisitely unique. It also means that each coffee I offer gets its own roast to bring out the flavors particular to that coffee. While roasting is an art, I do apply as much science as possible. To see Weber at the roasting area is to see an artist and scientist in the same body. Equipped

By Chef Vita Jarrin

If you want to make an absolute party pleaser for an appetizer, I have just the thing. It’s officially called Brie En Croute. Basically it’s a fancy name for a puff pastry filled with delicious ingredients that can be enjoyed time and time again at any holiday festivity. It tastes like you’ve slaved over a hot stove for hours, but honestly it’s one of the easiest dishes to make because the hard part is done for you. The Puff Pastry dough. You can purchase it in the freezer section and once it’s thawed, (20 minutes or so) you can make so many different appetizers and creations, no matter what the occasion, in just minutes. Seeing that time is always of the essence when the holidays approach, I wanted you to enjoy something delicious, but yet that’s easy to make so you can enjoy time with family and friends. Another great reason to use this puff pastry is that it’s versatile. You can make a treat to feed multiple guests, or make individual bite size pieces to feed many. This allows for flexibility when using various ingredients, so that you can please everybody by changing just a few ingredients and creating various choices. Serves 4-6

Onion and Mushroom Jam Ingredients: 6 tbsp. LAND O LAKES® European Style butter, divided 1 Large onion, sliced 1⁄8-inch thick, about 1 3⁄4 cups Kosher salt 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1⁄8-inch thick 1 portabella mushroom, sliced 1⁄8-inch thick 1 small shallot, minced 2 cups red wine 2 Tbs. Raspberry jam (seedless) 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar 2 tbsp. heavy cream 2 tsp. corn starch 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. brown sugar ¼ C chopped walnut or pecans

Weber masterfully controls every detail in the roasting process to produce fabulous flavors Purchasing Beans “Life’s too short to drink crappy coffee and cry over boys who don’t care.” ~Matty Healy Weber purchases a variety of beans claiming, “Coffee shouldn’t taste bad. It shouldn’t be something to endure in order to get caffeine and stay awake. It doesn’t have to be hidden behind cream and sugar. It shouldn’t have to be drunk so hot that we can’t taste it. And it definitely doesn’t have to be candied up with artificial flavors for a sugar fix. When coffee is carefully grown in good soil, delicately picked at the peak of ripeness, attentively shipped on its long journey, and then meticulously roasted to exacting standards, it can be beautifully flavored, sweet, and rich. It can be something to savor on a slow morning, or provide a brief pause on a quick morning. But it will taste good. It will make your day better. And it will support your local coffee roaster as well as individual farmers in Ethiopia, Colombia, or Sumatra.” However, as with most growing other fruits that require precise timing so it is with coffee beans, and then there is the critical step of roasting. There are many secrets and steps involved in roasting coffee that require expertise and experience. Weber has been roasting coffee for 14 years and has reached a point where he knows the special qualities, temperatures, times, and the tolerances of different beans; all details that help him bring out the flavors, strengths, and nuances of different beans.

Roasting “I have a strong theory that you can tell a lot about someone by their coffee order...” ~Emmie Lee Dean

with his larger roaster, his smaller roaster, his computer and his keenly honed senses he makes adjustments until everything is ‘just right’. He claimed, “ My roaster is equipped with three separate thermocouples that measure various temperatures multiple times a second. I save a record of each and every roast, and then when I cup the coffee – a controlled tasting process – I am able to tweak the roast to bring out more flavor. In fact, I use a special, smaller coffee roaster known as a sample roaster to do much of the roast development work on. This allows me to do many development roasts without using much coffee. When I finally understand a coffee is when I begin to roast in on my Diedrich “production” roaster and offer the coffee.”

Continuing, Weber noted, “While coffee

Add vinegar, heavy cream, sugar, and the remaining 2 tbsp. of butter, and continue to reduce mixture until it forms a thick sauce that clings to the back of a spoon and leaves a clean line when a finger is swiped across the back, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in onions and mushrooms, season with salt, and remove from heat to set aside. Roll out puff pastry dough and with a dinner plate cut around with a knife to form a circle. Spread fig or raspberry jam on bottom of pastry. Add walnuts and the mushroom and onion jam and top it with the Brie Cheese wheel, making sure it’s in the center. Brush the outer layers with an egg wash so you can seal the outer pastry dough once you pull the edges towards the center. You may have to trim edges a bit. But don’t take off too much .Start to bring the end towards the center, so that you may seal the brie package. Once sealed, flip over and turn right side up. Brush the whole package with egg wash and place on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Cut four slits similar to making a star at the top of the pastry and bake for about 15-20 minutes until its golden brown. If you are feeling creative, you can use the trimmings to make a cute design on top of the pastry. But brush top with egg wash, then attach pastry pieces and brush the top of them as well. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes and cut into it. Enjoy

Tip of the Week: Feel free to use different ingredients to make this dish. You can use various fruits to top brie cheese, various nuts and jams. The ideas are endless. Most importantly… Enjoy yourself, get creative, try new things have fun!!! Happy Eats!

“I never said I liked coffee better than sex. I said I'd had it more.” ~ Kevin Sinnott For many Islanders, coffee is the magic elixir that makes the morning happen and makes the day possible, decidedly energizing them enough to even be productive, if not simply to be wide awake. There are those who imbibe instant coffee or canned coffee [guilty at times] from a variety of companies, but nothing hits the spot better than tasty, fine roasted, and well brewed coffee. Just travel to a European or South American country and taste the coffee, espresso, coffee American, late, macchiato, or other java offering and you will find a distinct difference. Islanders who have tasted Weber’s fresh roasted coffees from outlets here on the Island love the flavors. Weber’s menu of five to ten fresh imported and roasted coffees offers both the coffee connoisseur and the regular coffee drinkers a distinct range of unique flavors fit for every taste – bold, sweet, light, chocolate, and more. The differences are in the beans grown in foreign lands and how the coffee is roasted here in Corpus Christi, but it is Spencer’s roasting experience that will make the difference.

Yes, there are a few good coffee houses in Corpus and on the Island, but trying Roastorium’s fresh roasted coffees will no doubt put a smile on your face. Only great tasting coffees. He serves many coffee houses, gift stores, and markets in Corpus Christi, and on the Island, drop by Padre Island Mail Plus or A La Mode Gelateria and to try a couple of packages. They also make terrific Christmas Gifts and stocking stuffers. Happy coffee drinking and Merry Christmas.

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For the Sauce: In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tbsp. of butter over medium-high. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn light brown

Using a slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms and onions to a bowl and set aside. Add shallots to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften and become aromatic, about 1 1⁄2 minutes. Add red wine, increase heat to high, and bring wine to a boil. Reduce wine to 1⁄2 cup, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits, about 15 minutes. In a small bowl, add some of the liquid and stir in the corn starch eliminating any lumps. Add back into pot and stir. This will thicken sauce so that you may place it on top of puff pastry.

How Important is Coffee

“There's an awful lot of coffee in the air, and a lot of awful coffee, too!” ~John Simmons. Weber stated, “Roasting coffee has always been an art. Roasting coffee is not like cooking food – with food, if you follow a recipe you can get decent results. The roasting process is incredibly complex – there are hundreds of chemical reactions occurring, changing simple molecules into longer, more complex, and tastier molecules.

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a parchment sheet of paper on a cookie sheet and spray with Pam Cooking spray.

and very soft, about 7 minutes. Add 2 more tbsp. of butter and the mushrooms. Season with salt and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn tender and dark brown, about 3 minutes.

To order by phone, call 361-949-7700. To order by mail please send your checks made payable to: J. Park, The Island Moon, 14493 S.P.I.D., PMB 220, Corpus Christi, Tx 78418.

Whooping Crane Festival Sign-ups Open February 23-26 in Port Aransas

Registration is open for the annual Whooping Crane Festival scheduled for February 23-26, 2017 in Port Aransas, Texas. The festival is open to birders, photographers, families, and anyone who loves the outdoors and naturerelated activities. As the festival has grown over the years, so has the variety of events. World renowned crane expert, Dr. George Archibald, will be one of the featured speakers. Festival attendees will have the opportunity to take guided boat tours to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge to view the world’s last naturally-occurring population of Whooping Cranes on their wintering grounds.

Additional festival activities include birding and nature boat and bus tours, interactive workshops and seminars, a painting and wine tasting class, a free nature-related trade show, and a family birding field trip. For more information and online registration, visit www.whoopingcranefestival.org. Several trips are expected to fill up fast due to the popularity of the festival, so participants are encouraged to register early. Online registration closes at 5:00 p.m. CST on February 14. Onsite registration will open on February 23 at 1:30 p.m. at the Port Aransas Civic Center and run daily through the festival.

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December 15, 2016

Island Moon

SPORTS Sports Talk Special to The Island Moon

NFL Bullish On Full-Time and 8th Official In 2017

By Dotson Lewis

By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon

Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s Note: As many of you Moon Monkeys know, I have been lobbying the NFL for a very long time to go to nine field officials. It appears that they may be taking a step in the right direction. Ben Austro & Mark Schultz contributed to this article.

NFL To Hire Full-Time Officials & Add An 8th Official to Each Crew Executive vice president of Football Operations Troy Vincent said he expects the NFL to implement a larger officiating crew and to hire full-time officials for the 2017 season.

assessed for rare errors in game administration, Vernatchi’s offense was worthy of a suspension in Vincent’s opinion. This does not mean that errors should not face repercussions, but it is hard to see how suspending an official improves officiating. It is, in the words of former referee Scott Green, “arbitrary punishment of an individual for a fast public-relations fix.” The push for 17 full-time officials will certainly give incoming union executive director Scott Green of the NFLRA (National Football League Referees Association) a full-on battle with the leagues executive suite.

National Football League To Propose Developmental League

Troy Vincent Vincent said “this is a topic of discussion daily,” and plans to add an eighth official to each crew. On each of the 17 crews, the addition of one more official would be filled by new hires and possibly from current swing officials, an overflow bench of officials rotated into crews and substituting for injured officials. Vincent added that the league intends to have 17 full-time officials for 2017 as well, which neatly fits in with the number of expanded onfield positions.

The Great White Whale

The NFL announced this week that it will propose a new developmental league to help train prospective players and provide opportunities for coaches, scouts and officials. For over several years the NFL helped sponsor a developmental league, first the World League of American Football (WLAF) and NFL Europe. There are several questions surrounding a developmental league. When would the season be held? How many games a season? How many teams? How much will the NFL be willing to invest in the league? How much profit or loss will the NFL be willing to accept? Would fans support a league, since many think football is at

He was a one-man wrecking crew. The only thing that was missing was the growl. Some of us are born with a chip on our shoulders; he had a whole cord of wood. He wasn’t born; he fell from a tree. What I’m trying to say is this guy was mean. He didn’t have to work at it; he was born mean. Did I mention he was mean? This guy didn’t even own a dog. He was known for stepping on his opponents’ feet, pulling down their shorts, and enjoyed sending his deadly elbows to their ribs. Wilt Chamberlain once got so mad with him he hit him in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. Far from perfect, he could also be loud and abrasive. He could have played an extra in the movie, “Spartacus.” He was so big, it was a good cab ride around him. He could have worn three numbers on the back of his jersey, and he may have been worth five electoral votes. At nearly seven feet tall, he had the wing span of a pterodactyl and could not be intimidated. This man worked hard at developing a bad-boy image on the court. “Everybody hated him,” said Wilt Chamberlain. It’s hard to intimidate an NBA center. How do you intimidate an ice machine? At a time when centers in the game of basketball were labeled as uncoordinated, clumsy, overgrown goons, Clyde Lovellette came along and changed the game. At 6’9’ tall and weighing 245 pounds, he brought size, athleticism, and the ability to score the

the U.S. in the Olympics. He would spend the 1952-53 season playing with an amateur-league team from Oklahoma, known as the AAU’s Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers). In fact, it has been written that the pay for playing with the Phillips Petroleum team was better than the NBA. On April 26, 1952, he was drafted with the 9th pick of the 1st round by Minneapolis. On October 30, 1953, Lovellette joined 6’ 10”inch center, George Mikan, and the Minneapolis Lakers. In his debut, he played forward and occasionally spelled Mikan at center. Lovellette led the Minneapolis Lakers in scoring, in both 1955 and 1956. Clyde was traded from the Lakers on April 17, 1957, and joined the Cincinnati Royals for one season. On August 5, 1958, he found himself in St. Louis with the Hawks. There he teamed up with Bob Pettit and Cliff Hagan, both of whom would become future Hall-of-Fame players. Lovellette was sold to the Boston Celtics in June of 1962, where he would finish his career in 1964. Lovellette played in the NBA for 11 years and was a part of three NBA title teams, one with the 1954 Minneapolis Lakers and two with the Boston Celtics, in 1963 and 1964. It was the Lakers’ third title in a row. Mikan and Lovellette teamed up to beat Syracuse Nationals. In 704 games played as a professional, Clyde scored 11.947 points (17.0 ppg), pulled down 6,663 rebounds (9.5 rpg), and dished out 1,165 assists (1.7 apg). Lovellette was selected as an NBA

Vincent, the second in command to the commissioner, contends that 17 full-time hires are the maximum permitted under the officials’ 2012 collective bargaining agreement, but the AP notes that the league will still have to consult with the NFL Referees’ Association. The eighth field position would likely be the middle judge, which was trialed in the last two preseasons. The Competition Committee is scheduled to meet at the NFL Combine in February to discuss the information gathered from the trials. The ownership would then need to approve the crew increase at their March meeting, which has been noted that it would necessitate a fast-track implementation for 2017. A staffing increase is thought to be imminent, as (1) the number of swing officials is consistent with other staffing increases needed before expansion teams were added, and (2) the size of the officiating development pool expanded significantly this season. “Scott Green: Like so many things, the devil is in the details and we have yet to hear from the league on those details. We look forward to meeting with them to discuss numerous issues, this being one of them. We agreed in the 2012 Collective Bargaining Agreement that we did not oppose using some full-time officials under certain circumstances including equitable compensation, benefits, clearly documented work duties, employee protections, etc. Details such as these should be

discussed in the offseason.” Adding 17 full-time officials is a curious move by Vincent, and is not a done deal by far. Previous attempts to transition current officials to full-time status were to have them be league-office employees, and thus outside of the officiating union’s jurisdiction. An attempt to have three officials become full-time in 2014, with the intention to expand to one at each position, fell apart; Carl Johnson was made a full-time official in 2013 when he returned to the field after serving as vice president of officiating. Since Johnson was already a leagueoffice employee, everything from a humanresources standpoint matched his executive tenure. Johnson is no longer a full-time official. With the false starts in implementing full-time officials, this does seem that the 17 new hires will, in fact, be the presumptive 17 full-time officials. And it shows that Vincent is caving to popular opinion that full-time officials would be better officials, even though the senior vice president of officiating, said this is no guarantee that officiating would improve, or even maintain current levels. A case can be made that 2017 could see a decline in the officiating talent. For one, a new field position would be phased in with the associated growing pains and the new mechanics incubated in only a handful of preseason games. Also, the new hires would be from a narrower pool of college officials willing to leave their college position and their outside career with no protection under a collective bargaining agreement. This could leave many highly qualified individuals behind. By taking officials out of the union’s hands, Vincent would then be free to levy suspensions for in-game infractions, even though it doesn’t improve officiating. The most recent case involved a suspension that wasn’t called a suspension (and was paid) presumably to endaround the union. While putting his personal imprint on Football Operations, a few sources reported that Vincent was responsible for the decision to suspend Side-Judge Rob Vernatchi. While fines are

Clyde Lovelette Scott Green the saturation point?

Who Will Officiate the League? If the season runs during the spring and summer, this would be an ideal opportunity for college officials and others in the Officiating Development Program (ODP). The officials would be free to continue calling games in college during the fall and NFL preseason games in the summer and not have to give up their college schedule.

This could also be the chance for the NFL to placate fan, coach and pundit demands and hire full-time officials. A 12 to 15 week developmental league season would give NFL officials 32 to 35 weeks’ worth of calling games, thus mitigating the argument that there aren’t enough football games for full-time officials. Would the NFL want to pay their officials fulltime? Would the officials, many of whom are in well-paying “day” jobs, want to give up their full-time vocation and commit to the NFL? The NFL officials may not have to work all developmental league games. They could travel with the crews and tutor/mentor the ODP officials, observe their games, and report to the NFL about the trainee’s prospects to be a fulltime NFL official. The NFL will want to have assurances about the financial viability of any developmental league before committing to a new enterprise. Officiating concerns will very likely be towards the bottom the list. Dotson’s Other Note: Such a league can only help officiating, but what would be the cost? The NFL is loaded, but has also been very stingy with pay for officials. How many hours per week would be required for the full-timers and what would they do all day? I know for a fact that NFL Officials spend an average of 20-25 hours a week on football related “stuff” during the season and having to work only about six months a year, would be great…of course the pay should start at about $100K for rookies and top-out about $250K for those with tenure. Of course all health coverage for the family and around 75% of base pay for retirement is must for the package…where does the line form? Your comments, suggestions, questions and concerns regarding Sports Talk articles are greatly appreciated, please call the Benchwarmers at 361-560-5397 weekdays, Mondays thru Fridays, 5-7 PM, or contact me. Phone: 361-949-7681 Cell: 530-748-8475 Email: dlewis1@stx.rr.com Have fun -30-

ball from outside the paint, to the professional game. They called him many names, but few called him Clyde Lovellette.

On to Kansas Clyde Edward Lovellette was born on September 7, 1929, in Petersburg, Indiana. The family later moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, while he was still a young boy. His father was a railroad engineer. Clyde was already 6’ 4”inches tall, as a freshman in high school. There are stories of his mother making him jump rope to help with his coordination. A two-time AllState high school performer, Clyde led Garfield High School to the Indiana State tournament. As a junior, his team was undefeated until losing the 1947 State Championship game to Shelbyville High School. After sorting through 50 college offers to play basketball, Lovellette choose the University of Kansas, coached by the legendary “Phog” Allen. Lovellette later exposed that many colleges tried to entice him with cars, cash up front, and even a house. Clyde, a teammate of future legendary Hall-of-Fame college basketball coach, Dean Smith, played for the Kansas Jayhawks for three years (1949-1952). Lovellette put up head-shaking good numbers in college. He averaged 24.7 points per game and was named an All-American twice. In 1952, his senior year, Clyde was named the Helms Foundation College Player of the Year. In Seattle, during the 1952 NCAA Finals, Clyde Lovellette scored 33 points against St John’s University and led his Jayhawks to the National Championship, winning 80 to 63. He was also named the NCAA tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Kansas’ win-loss record in 1952 was 28-3. With his sweeping hook shots and one-handed set shots, Lovellette scored 31, 44, and 33 points during their three tournament wins. He also had 17 rebounds during the NCAA Final. Greeted by thousands of Jayhawks fans when they returned from Seattle, Clyde drove the fire truck through town during the victory parade. Lovellette is still the only player to lead the country in points per game and win a National Championship in the same season. Lovellette wore #16 and scored 1,979 points in just three years at Kansas and is still ranked fourth in scoring. He also grabbed 813 rebounds for the Jayhawks. He was referred to as the “Beast,” “Big Turkey,” a “Monster” and the “Great White Whale.” Another famous center, Wilt Chamberlain, played at Kansas from 1956 to 1958.

Better pay than the NBA After Kansas, Clyde resisted all NBA offers to protect his amateur status, so he could play for

All-Star four times, (1956, 1957, 1960, and 1961). He had a date with destiny. Lovellette was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. He joined the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988 and was selected to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

“I took my lumps and gave them” In an interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 1987, Clyde said the following: “My strength was I could shoot, I was strong, I was not going to be intimated, and I was so mean. I caused a lot of controversy as far as roughness goes. I took my lumps and gave them.” After his basketball career was over, Clyde became a sportscaster, cattle rancher, countryclub manager and a teacher. Eventually he found his calling as a counselor for troubled youth in Terre Haute. He retired in 1995. Clyde Lovellette left us on March 9, 2016. He died at home from cancer, while living in North Manchester, Indiana. He was 86. Clyde will now grace the courts of Heaven. Clyde Lovellette first married Sally Wheeler and together they had three daughters, but it ended in divorce. He later married his current wife, Judy Wray. He is survived by his three daughters, a stepson, 13 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren. Lovellette was the first man to win an NCAA Basketball Championship with the 1952 Kansas Jayhawks, an Olympic Gold Medal in men’s basketball in the 1952 games held in Helsinki, Finland, and an NBA Title. There have been six others since then: Bill Russell, “Magic” Johnson, Michael Jordan, K.C. Jones, Quinn Buckner and Jerry Lucas. George Bronner once said, “Each day is a gift. Don’t send it back unopened.” Big Clyde Lovellette never regretted a day in his life. Andy Purvis is a local author and radio personality. Please visit www.purvisbooks. com for all the latest info on his books or to listen to the new radio podcast. Andy’s books are available online and can be found in the local Barnes & Noble bookstore. Andy can be contacted at purvis.andy@mygrande.net. Also listen to sports talk radio on Dennis & Andy’s Q & A Session from 6-8 PM on Sportsradiocc.com 1230 AM, 96.1 FM and 103.3 FM. The home of the Houston Astros.

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December 15, 2016

Island Moon

The Traveling Moon Gets Around

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December 15, 2016

Island Moon

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