A631forweb

Inside the Moon

Summer Fun A6

Farmers' Market A6

Young Heroes A4

The

Issue 631

Island Moon

The voice of The Island since 1996

May 19, 2016

The Island where half the fishermen are above average.

Around The Island

Fishing A11

Free

Weekly

FREE

Photo By Ronnie Narmour

Turtle Nesting Season Underway

By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com

If there was ever any doubt last weekend’s weather should prove the old axiom that when it rains it pours.

The dark clouds came sweeping up out of Mexico and deluged the flatlands to our west then continued right up the coast flooding streets from Flour Bluff to Aransas Pass.

By Dale Rankin As Island ditches and canals overflowed with rainwater this week drinking water from Island taps was deemed undrinkable by officials from the City of Corpus Christi, at the urging of officials from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality A boil order was issued for drinking water across the city that remains in effect as of this writing Wednesday afternoon.

All told the NOAA numbers showed that our sandbar got well over ten inches of rain in just a few days; up to 14 inches in some spots. Our Island rain gauges – swimming pools – are up about four inches on average and like our drinking water in need of chlorine.

On the south end of The Island lightening stuck a house and blew out the lights and boats floated from slings in docks that normally are high and dry. The runoff from rainfall was trapped for a couple of days in the Island canal system by a steady and strong incoming tide keeping high water around Island docks.

Over on Commodores the canal was filled with an oily, brown substance that looked like melted peanut butter which was produced by rainwater running through street drains.

It is a reminder that anything on our streets finds its way into our canal system when it rains.

Old salts hereabouts are in agreement they have never seen the water on our beaches, in our canal system, and in the Laguna this high for this long.

Last summer’s water came in like a rolling tide that never completely left and this spring has begun with more of the same. The rainwater just adds to the pool. Maybe it’s nature’s cycle, maybe it’s the melting of the ice caps, who knows, but something’s going on. It’s not time to start building an ark yet, but this week it was time for folks in The Bluff to break out the kayaks to get to Stripes.

Lake Padre overflow

By Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery National Park Service Padre Island National Seashore e-mail: Donna_Shaver@nps.gov The 2016 Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nesting season is underway in Texas.

Through May 16, 77 Kemp’s ridley nests have recorded on the Texas coast so far this year. This includes 36 on North Padre Island, of which 33 were found at Padre Island National Seashore. Others found in Texas include 29 on South Padre Island, 4 on Boca Chica Beach, 4 on Mustang Island, 1 on San Jose Island, 2 on Matagorda Peninsula, and 1 on Quintana Beach.

We hope to find many more nests during the coming weeks. The peak of the Kemp’s ridley nesting season is from mid-May through mid-June, and nesting can continue through mid-July. Beach-to-Bay day has been a popular day for nesting during the last few years, but the complexities of vehicle gridlock make it challenging for us to deal with nesting that day. I wish that the turtles would take that morning off from nesting, but they will nest when they decide to.

For more than three decades, the National Park Service has worked with other agencies in the U.S. and Mexico to help recover the Kemp’s ridley population and form a secondary nesting colony of

Around continued on A4

Beach to Bay This Saturday

f you are looking to run errands on The Island Saturday morning be aware the 41st Beach to Bay event which kicks off near Bob Hall Pier at 7 a.m. will be routed north in the southbound land of SPID from Beach Access Road #6 near the horse stables, to the base of the JFK Causeway. Northbound traffic on SPID from Commodores to the JFK Causeway should not be directly affected.

Traffic patterns should be back to normal by late morning.

this native species at the National Seashore. Padre Island National Seashore is the most important Kemp’s ridley nesting beach in the U.S. for this endangered species, with more Kemp’s ridley nests documented at the National Seashore than at any other location in the U.S.

You can help Turtle patrollers from various organizations are searching Texas Gulf beaches daily to find nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles and their eggs so that we can document and protect them.

Beachgoers and other people working on the beach also sometimes find nesting, especially in developed areas

Turtles continued on A2

Once upon a time there came to be an incredible elementary school on the Island, Seashore Learning Center.

It enjoyed success with student learning and achievement. A terrific staff worked to meet student needs and maximize learning. Years later beginning in 2006 a middle school was established; Seashore Middle Academy.

Parent organization Island Foundation Schools hired Ms. Barbara Beeler as the Director of Seashore Middle Academy. After leading SMA ff for 10 years to achieve top academic goals and test results, Director Beeler is retiring at the end of this school year.

Beeler and the staff at SMA have performed extremely well over the years, annually supporting students to earn academic distinction in the classroom, on state mandated tests, and in academic competitions. It is not unfair to say that under Ms. Beeler’s leadership Seashore Middle Academy has become one of the top middle schools in the state of Texas, in fact, recently ranking 15th in the state of Texas by one national school ranking organization.

Staffer Nathan Wilkie stated, “Barbara Beeler is a major reason why SMA has experienced such success in so many areas i.e., academics, sports, and the arts. She has an extraordinary ability to work well with students, parents and staff. She started from the ground up building this school to what is today… EXEMPLARY.”

A New Middle School - Baby Steps Sometimes the right person comes along at the right time. So it was with Ms. Beeler. Beeler recounted the years prior to SMA, “I retired in 2002 and soon became bored with retirement.

I love the beach, but it loses “being special” when you go every day. I volunteered for several organizations,

At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting Mayor Nelda Martinez read a resignation letter from then-current and now-former City Manager Ron Olson citing the third boil order in ten months as the impetus.

And from there the news got worse.

One of Beeler’s first duties was

Beeler continued on A2

Water continued on A7

but it just wasn’t fulfilling. I think I retired much too young. I saw an ad for a new director at SLC, a small school of less than 200 students and thought that would be perfect for me.

I could use my experience, but not be responsible for a thousand students.”

The path took a twist as Beeler explained, “I was not offered the SLC job, instead I was offered an opportunity to write the charter and build the new middle school. This allowed me to throw myself and my skills into building something new.

My past experience was to move into leadership in an established high achieving campus. This was all new, starting from scratch.”

By Brent Rourk

Each month the City of Corpus Christi tests water quality at 98 locations around the city twice each in order to ensure water quality.

According to information provided to the city council on Tuesday by Assistant City Manager Mark Van Vleck, last Friday city crews tested water at three sites in Flour Bluff and found 2.5 milliliters of chlorine per liter of water, (a milliliter is one thousandth of a liter or 0.002 pint). A short time later crews from TECQ conducted tests at the same three locations and found that at two of them the chlorine level was .5 milliliters per liter of water; an amount low enough to trigger the boil alert.

The Corpus Christi water system is 35 miles long stretching from Calallen to The Island and has 1300 miles of pipe. The regional water system is administered by the City of Corpus Christi and serves communities in seven Coastal Bend counties, including Aransas, Bee, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Live Oak, Nueces, and San Patricio. In 1999 the system secured the rights to 35,000 acre-feet of water each year (1 acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons) from the Colorado River Basin at a rate of 298 acrefeet per day through Lake Texana which is fed by the Navidad River near Victoria. To deliver the water to the Coastal Bend a 42-mile long, 54inch line was approved at an original cost of $75 million which has now ballooned to $172 million. That line delivers water to the north end of the water system.

SMA Director Barbara Beeler to Retire

Becoming a Top Middle School Driving along SPID between Commodores and Whitecap has been a watery cruise as for several days the roadway has been inundated with rising water from Lake Padre. An open conduit between the bar ditch and the lake was put in place to allow water from the ditch to run down to sea level in Lake Padre. But the rising tide has pushed the water level in the lake higher than that of the ditch and Mother Nature has reversed the

Water, Water Everywhere but Not a Drop to Drink

A little Island history

Combing the Beach for Spanish Treasure and Cans of Lard Editor’s note: This is the second part of a story which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post on January 3, 1948 chronicling the adventures of writer Lewis Nordyke as the explored Mustang and Padre islands with the man who along with his Louis Rawalt and his wife Violet who were the only residents of Padre Island.

By Lewis Nordyke Rawalt is a lean, hungry-looking man. He was gassed in World War I; it left him with periodic spells of restlessness, but it helped him get a wife who loves beachcombing more than parties. While Rawalt was in the Boston hospital after World War I, dark-haired Violet came by with flowers for the patients. She became Mrs. Rawalt. He calls her Chick.

She is a smallish, lively woman with face darkened by sun and sand on the island. At times Rawalt works as an auto salesman and at other jobs, but when restlessness overtakes him, he

rubber. All that the men know of the source of this seaborne fortune is that a ship laden with rubber was torpedoed in a Gulf or Caribbean pass.

We stopped to see Coleman, a heavy-set man who came to Port Aransas from Michigan.

He has been on the coast only a few years, but he is a full-time beachcomber and a good one. He specializes in lumber and Coin found at Devil's Elbow has picked it up by the ton. Port Aransas has had a drops everything, telephones Chick building boom recently, and and says, “Get ready.” Mrs. Rawalt much of the lumber came from the knows that this means a trip to Padre sea.

Island.

Rawalt and Coleman are the main Luck has been with Rawalt. Among commercial beachcombers. They other things, he has found and sold two have found almost numberless tons of raw rubber. A beachcombing drums of oil, kerosene, gasoline competitor, Milt Coleman, who lives and Diesel fuel, kegs of cucumber on Mustang Island, at Port Aransas, has made $3000 from sales of raw History continued on A7

A2

Beeler continued from A1

to work closely with the Board to start the school, then located in parts of the Seashore Learning Center campus. During that first year 3 staff members taught the core curriculum plus Spanish. Beeler did double duty helping get the new building up and while watching those 3 staff members wrap their hands around the middle school in its first year.

It was no accident that SMA earned an amazing reputation and gained success. From the beginning Beeler assembled a dedicated staff that encouraged, pushed, and supported students. The conditions the first year were less than sterling, yet the charter staff under Beeler’s leadership set the tone for student learning and success at SMA.

Hiring the Staff Commenting about staff selection Beeler stated, “The staff evolved from three teachers hired the year prior to opening SMA. We opened up a 7th grade class at SLC to help us with enrollment when the middle school opened.

Shannon Trial taught Language Arts and Social Studies, John Sacchetti taught Science and Math, and Brent Rourk taught Spanish. The kids went to the country club for tennis and golf for PE. The rest of the staff evolved as we grew.

Katie Crysup, Susan Bernal, Claudia Detore, Raymond Kanipe, and Amy von Keyserlink joined the original three in the new building.

We have been blessed with a staff committed to the community and the school. Claudia has been my partner in this from the very beginning.

Island Moon

sorely missed.

Island parent Kasandra Taylor enrolled her four children in Seashore Schools, where they all had [with one still enrolled at SMA] very successful years before attending Flour Bluff High School. Taylor stated, “Mrs. Beeler has been such a strong force of good for not only my children, but for all the students that have been under her leadership at SMA. She clearly cares deeply about her students and their education; one indication is that she knows every student by name every year. Academic success is her mission, but she pursues it with an expectation that the students become good citizens as well. Leading by example, Mrs. Beeler also fosters reliability, loyalty and generosity. We have been so fortunate to have her valuable influence on our Seashore youth for this long!”

Retiring – Again When asked about why she chose to retire (again) from public education, Beeler commented, “I have reached a time in my life where getting up at 6am and sometimes working 10-12 hour days is no longer fun. I love the kids and staff, and I know I am leaving them in good hands. I would have found that difficult if I didn’t have 100% confidence in the new director.”

Beeler continued, “I have been thinking about retiring for a year or two. This summer I realized that Colleen McIntyre might be available, and that made my decision easy.”

As many might know, Beeler spent 31 years in education prior to taking the reins at Seashore Middle Academy. Added to that are ten more years at SMA, a virtual lifetime of compassionate, productive, and positive dedication to our world.

Leaving Behind a Magnificent School

The Dynamic Duo Ms. Detore and Ms. Beeler photo by Shannon Trial I could leave and she could keep this school going indefinitely.

In conjunction with the Board, Beeler was overseeing the building of the new middle school campus (at its present location) yet there were challenges; Writing and getting approval from the state for the Charter, Construction with a tight budget, Living with a very tight budget because of the underfunding of charter schools all presented some difficult moments.

Taking a pie during Greek Week photo by Shannon Trial Fortunately, there were gains and successes right out of the starting gate as Beeler noted,” The students excelled at academic competitions from the very beginning. We have kids competing at the state and national level in math and science. Our state testing scores are some of the highest in the state . Our academic and fine arts programs are now reaching the same levels of achievement. “

As she ventures into a future of fun, travel, and new challenges, she leaves behind no shortcomings at SMA. The Island schools have become a vital part of the Island, the community and Corpus Christi. Countless students have taken advantage of the educational offerings at the Island Foundation Schools. SLC and SMA have exceptionally prepared and mentored hundreds of students who have gone on to succeed at Flour Bluff High School and Port Aransas High School.

Many of those students have become leaders in athletics, art, and academics. Each year the top 20 student lists at FBHS includes many students who ‘earned their wings’ at Island Schools. Those who graduated from SMA were thoroughly prepared for the academic rigors of high school. That is a substantial tribute to the staff and their leader Ms. Beeler. Many of the SMA students have gone off to (and graduated from) college or select trade schools and are now productive community members.

Meanwhile Beeler will take with her innumerable memories from her SMA stint, starting with the planning and the first year of existence. She noted,” The students excelled at academic competitions from the very beginning. We have kids competing at the state and national level in math and science. Our state testing scores are some of the highest in the state. Our academic and fine arts programs are now reaching the same levels of achievement.”

Tributes Unquestionably, Ms. Barbara Beeler will be missed. Staff members unanimously sang Beeler’s praise during her tenure and summarily credited her with nothing short of feats of magic in launching and maintaining our fine Island school - Seashore Middle Academy.

Incoming SMA Director, prior Board President, and long-time exceptional SMA mathematics teacher assessed Beeler’s legacy, “Barbara has built a truly exemplary school from the ground up. Her energy, wisdom, and compassion have touched the lives of each student and teacher that have come through our doors. I am privileged to have been able to work with her for the last ten years and happy to still have her by my side during the transition next year.”

Behind every talented leader there is a loyal, competent, and unwavering assistant. Ms. Claudia Detore has been another backbone of Seashore Middle Academy, working closely and skillfully with Beeler to make the school ‘happen’ every day.

Detore noted, “Mrs. Beeler hired me the summer she started building Seashore Middle Academy.

Since that day my respect and admiration for her has grown and grown and grown. She has built a solid foundation (literally and figuratively) for Seashore Middle Academy that includes an excellent academic reputation. She leaves us well equipped to continue her legacy. She is fun, fair and always ready to listen. She will be

of the Texas coast. We thank these individuals for spotting and immediately reporting nesting.

Please watch for nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles while you are on the beach. Immediately report nesting turtles to a passing turtle patroller or by calling 361-949-8173, ext. 226 (North Padre Island) or 1-866-TURTLE5 (elsewhere in

Texas). Also, if you see a nester, please do not rush up her or you could frighten her and cause her to go back into the water without nesting.

If you drive on the beach during the nesting season, please watch carefully for nesting and drive slowly. Nesting Kemp’s ridleys can be difficult to see and often cross the beach roadway to nest in the embryonic dunes, or nest in the beach roadway where the sand is soft. It takes about 45 minutes for them to crawl up the beach, dig their nest chamber, lay their eggs, cover the nest, and return to the sea. During about 15 of these 45 minutes, while they deposit eggs into the nest chamber, they are nearly motionless and in a trance-like state.

Colleen McIntyre will replace Beeler photo by Shannon Trial In characteristic fashion Beeler was quick to deflect praise and credit those around her.

She is most proud of student achievement, the excellent staff, the great facilities, and the level of parent and community involvement. Further, she stated that the reasons behind the success of SMA are the teachers and the support of the parents and community.”

The Island is eternally grateful to Director Beeler and her undying service and leadership.

What made it possible? What convinced Beeler to pursue a career in education?

She confided, “I was the little girl who always wanted to play school. I was a people pleaser, my teachers loved me and always made me the helper. In retrospect, I wish there had been more opportunities for women. When I went to college, women were teachers, nurses, secretaries, worked in retail, or stayed at home with their kids. Many women went to college to find a husband. Young women have so many more opportunities now – and that is why education is so important.”

Hats off to Ms. Barbara Beeler for sharing her wisdom, compassion, and leadership with the Island and for helping positively shape the future of Island children.

May 19, 2016

of our hatchlings that emerge from eggs cared for in our incubation facility. These public releases are held in front of the Visitor Center on Malaquite Beach at Padre Island National Seashore, starting at 6:45 am. No fee is charged to watch these releases and thousands of people attend each year.

Hatchlings must be released when they enter an active state called the “frenzy”. Typically our releases are scheduled when multiple clutches are hatching at once and we advise people interested in attending a public release to target a time when several clutches are due to hatch and be released at the same time. The more clutches hatching at a given time, the better chance that some hatchlings will frenzy at the time of a scheduled public release.

This provides “insurance” so if some of the hatchlings become active and must immediately be released in the middle of the night, others are potentially still available for the early morning scheduled public release.

If you are interested in attending a release you should first check the website at www.nps. gov/pais for those projected release dates for clutches that we are incubating. As the date that you are interested in approaches, start calling the Hatchling Hotline (tel. 361-949-7163) for the latest information on the next upcoming release. We will announce public hatchling releases on the Hatchling Hotline and on our Facebook page titled Padre Island NS Division of Sea Turtle Science & Recovery.

To learn more about what to do if you see a nesting turtle and to obtain the latest information on the number of nests found this year, visit the Padre Island National Seashore website at www.nps.gov/pais or our Facebook page titled Padre Island NS Division of Sea Turtle Science & Recovery.

Egg Protection Eggs from all nests found on the Texas coast are retrieved from the beach for protected incubation to help keep them and the resulting hatchlings safe from predators, high tides, human disturbance, and other factors that could harm or kill them on the beach. Eggs from most nests found at Padre Island National Seashore and northward on the Texas coast are brought to our incubation facility at the National Seashore for protected care.

Eggs from some of the nests found at the southern end of the park are brought to a

What is Next?

After enjoying a second career in education here on the Island at SMA, and following a successful education career in Highland Park, Texas, Beeler will take things a little easier, however, she will still work closely with the incoming Director Colleen McIntyre. Beeler plans to read, travel, volunteer, or do ‘whatever strikes her fancy’. She will volunteer and work at SMA on Tuesdays when the new director Colleen McIntyre attends City Council meetings.

Of course, those gains did not happen by accident, but rather by sharp vision, an extremely dedicated and tireless staff, and remarkable leadership on Beeler’s part. Beeler’s fingerprints are on all of those components.

Those gains happened while SMA added 20 new students every year, an addition that also required balancing staff, hiring new staff, and carefully creating courses besides core courses that both interested and challenged students.

Shannon Trial, one of the school’s founding staff members claimed, “Barbara came on board when SMA was a dream in progress.

She oversaw construction, hired our staff, and built a stellar school. Barbara has been the heart of SMA since its inception, and many tears will accompany her well-deserved second retirement.”

Turtles continued from A1

protective screen enclosure called a corral located near our Turtle Patrol Base Camp. Eggs from South Padre Island and Boca Chica Beach are transferred to a corral on South Padre Island.

Eggs are closely cared for in the incubation facility and corrals. Eggs incubate for about 48-53 days before the hatchlings are ready for release.

Hatchling Releases Each year, Padre Island National Seashore invites the public to attend about 20 releases

Hatchlings from the first group of nests found this year will be ready for release sometime between about June 12 and 16, and we hope to hold our first public release of the year then.

The Kemp’s ridley nesting season extends through mid-July, so as more nests are found and the eggs are placed into our facility we will add information about them to our website.

Depending upon when more nests are found, public releases could continue through midAugust this year.

May 19, 2016

A3

Island Moon

Letters to the Editor

Moon Monkeys

"Schlittermess"

Mike Ellis, Founder

"The facts, Ma'am, just the facts", was stated repeatedly by Jack Webb; a statement worth repeating for all of us with concerns here on the Island from the duration of unsafe drinking water to the covenant regulations pursued for a quality of life that we each desire. Unfortunately though, misinformation interferes with our ability to seek solutions that benefit all concerned. Each month there is an opportunity to "get the facts" during question and answer times afforded at each meeting held at the Property Management on Fortuna Bay. IF more clarification were shared about issues that concern homeowners our community could be more harmonious; proactive approaches to issues benefit all. We may not agree, however we can allow the facts to be heard and proceed to solve numerous concerns shared by homeowners.

Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Classifieds Arlene Ritley Production Manager Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Andy Purvis Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Todd Hunter

Your input is welcomed; you are encouraged to voice your concerns.

Most recently the waterpark state of accumulated building supplies, garbage, equipment, and an overgrown landscape that has grown above what was patched together to conceal said disarray, a poor substitute for a good fence, one that is an asset to the community, conducive to safeguarding our property values, was show on the KRIS News as management spoke of the "cleanup" that was underway.

At this writing there are some questions unanswered, the facts, please only the facts":

Dotson Lewis Ronnie Narmour

When will this park property be cleared of all the accumulated debris?

Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver

What encouragement is the park provided to improve the property?

Photographers Miles Merwin

(Home owners in the surrounding area face fines for non-compliance. What is in place to motivate the owners of the park property?)

Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Ronnie Narmour Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus) Riley P. Dog

Will KRIS News return each week to indicate the progress made?

Will these "updates" be available to the public?

Will a lawn maintenance service be contracted to remove the overgrowth?

Will our "neighbor" be held to a standard reflective of our covenant?

What will it take on the part of the 5,500 home owners in our association to encourage said dumping grounds to reflect the commitment in our covenant?

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

CVS

Coffee Waves

Whataburger

Moby Dicks

Doc’s Restaurant

Spanky’sLiquor

Snoopy’s Pier

IGA Grocery Store

Isle Mail N More

Carter Pharmacy

Brooklyn Pie Co.

San Juan’s Taqueria

Ace Hardware

Wash Board Laundry Mat

Texas Star (Shell)

Port A Parks and Rec

Island Italian

Holiday Inn Jesse’s Liquor

Public Library

Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant

Chamber of Commerce

Island Tire

Duckworth Antiques

And all Moon retail advertisers

Back Porch

WB Liquor

Woody’s Sports Center

Subway

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

Management is asked to state in writing the answers to the above questions so that gossip can be eliminated; we, like Jack Webb, ask for "the facts, please, just the facts".

We, the homeowners, are attempting to safeguard OUR investment; we implore OUR NEIGHBOR, Schlitterbahn, to be a good neighbor.

Respectfully.

Barbara DeToto

Sewer Charges

Padre Island Teen

By Elizabeth Clark

Stormy Weather The storms that came on Sunday and Monday were vicious, leaving Corpus Christi flooded and powerless. At the same time, we are facing a problem with our drinking water. It's seems that problems keep piling up here, but there was one good thing that came from the rain: a day off of school!

The sudden surprise of having a day off was fantastic for everyone in Flour Bluff, and even the Seashore kids didn't have to go in until 10:00.

Now we are realizing that our joy was short lived. To make up for the unexpected weather day, Flour Bluff has added another school day onto the very end of our semester. Schedules are being hastily rearranged to accommodate the change, and you could almost hear the collective groan of all students when the news was sent out. But no matter; we are still only a week from Summer Vacation!

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, email me at PadreIslandTeen@gmail.com.

Water boil

Until 1999 we, bill payers, would at least get a letter from the Utilities Business Office explaining the winter average adjustments to the waste water charges and possible rate increases.

After 1998-99, NOTHING! No Notices, No Explanations! Just the rate increases posted to the monthly utility bill whenever the city council decided it needed more money. Sometimes more than once a year.

I still do not understand how the Corpus Christi City Council can impose over 115% in rate increases in a few years, for any city utility, WITH NO EXPLANATION. This makes no sense! During this period, according to the federal government, there has been almost no inflation. Social Security recipients and others have received little or no cost of living increases.

Without explanation I refuse to believe that Corpus Christi SEWER plant operational expenses have increased over 115% in a few years. Which leads to the question: WHERE IS THE EXTRA MONEY GOING? Am I the only one who cares about this? At what point do these SEWER charges become too much? Or is the answer: Just shut-up and pay the bill!

Bernard O'Brien Dorsal St Response, One of the drivers for increases in waste water are street projects. Every time we approve a $55m bond street project, another approximately $50m in utility work is done.

This work is directly reflected in your utility bill. The increases are approved once a year with the budget reading. Other increases come from improvements at the plants to meet increasing EPA standards.

District 4 City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre

Send photos and letters to editor@islandmoon.com

Debbie Wall The PI POA has no Codes. A Code equals a Law. The POA has no Laws. The POA has no Code Enforcement Officers.

The PIPOA has legally-binding Covenants.

The Covenants are the Rules of the POA, and conversely, the Rules of the POA are the Covenants.

The POA Covenants do not require cutting down palm fronds, nor do experts on Palm tree horticulture recommend cutting down brown palm fronds. The expert advice for a healthy palm tree is to leave the brown fronds hang down to form a protective barrier for the health of the tree.

The POA has recently (Jan 2016) made up something they call their new, "Maintenance Standards."

Some, "standards," exist in our Covenants, but most do not.

Nevertheless, the POA is trying to enforce their made up Maintenance Standards, as IF they were legally-binding Covenants.

More bad news....the boil alert continues.

Staff reports that our twenty samples returned no e-coli, no bacteria,and adequate levels of chlorine. However, TCEQ has obtained additional samples that cause them to question the stability of the disinfectant in the water system. TCEQ orders that the Boil Water Advisory remain in effect.

Staff is taking steps to change the type of disinfectant in the system like we did during last year's water boil. More on that likely in next update.

Please recognize that we all share your frustration and concern. We recognize the incredible cost to our businesses and inconvenience to our residents. We are asking questions, and we are looking for solutions - to why it happened again, why it continues, and how to keep it from happening again?

Whereas, the ONLY legal way they could be made into legally-binding Covenants is to propose them as Amendments to the legally existing Covenants. Such amendments could then go forward as a legal VOTE, to all PIPOA property owners. If such amendments passed, with just over 50 percent yes votes, then the amendments would become legally-binding Covenants.

District 4 City Councilwoman Colleen McIntyre Tuesday, 5 p.m.

I'm curious as to how many people have received POA violation notices. We got one.

It said, 'on a recent tour of the island the Code Enforcement officer noticed the following..'

From the Island Moon Facebook page I'm not a homeowner here but I tend to dislike the "shaved look". Furthermore, some of the wags have pointed out that there was no "treeshaving" rule in the original document that many homeowners signed on to. Lastly, someone poignantly offered that there are actually a few of God's Little Creatures that seek shelter in those tree beards. I'm all for maintaining a pleasant facade on the old homestead, but trying to force homeowners to trim off the skirt of a 40 ft. tall tree borders on the ridiculous. I claim no expertise on such matters, but I have slept in a Holiday Inn Express.

A short time ago I wrote in the Facebook Island Moon Newspaper (and the Caller Times) that I was shocked at the rate increases in the Corpus Christi SEWER charges in the past few years. Hoping there was some error in my SEWER charges, I went to City Hall and talked Doyle Gaines to the folks at the Utilities Business Office.

They confirmed that the correct SEWER (waste water) charge for a single family residence Glad the POA is working to keep standards up within the city limits using 2,000 to 3,000 and not giving in to lazy trashy people. gallons (winter average), effective January 1, Michael Harder 2016, is $40.72 and increases $6.69 for every additional 1,000 gallons or part thereof.

I pointed out that in August 2010 the SEWER charges for 2,000 to 3,000 gallons (winter average) was $18.93 and now in February 2016 it is $40.72, which is a 115.1% increase in SEWER charges in 5 ½ years. I was politely told these rate increase were applied as directed by the City Council.

tidy. I personally see a lot of yards out here with weeds, trash, boats, trailers, rusty products, dilapidated decks, boats hanging on one boat strap and partially sunk in water, and more.

They should address these issues first as these are the things that make the neighborhoods look trashy or could make it hard for a neighbor to sell a home. Palm trees do look better when cleaned up but I believe this is secondary in comparison to cleaning up our neighborhoods.

Take a drive one day from one end of Island to the other ....the issue is real.

I believe POA sent out letters to all homeowners (we got one) a few months ago stating they would be enforcing the covenants rules pertaining to keeping our yards clean &

The POA was given a cease and desist call from a REAL CCPD Code Enforcement Officer.

They will no more write threatening letters to Island homeowners, falsely referring to any of their employees as, "Code Enforcement Officers."

Bob Alegro

Our tree was going to be trimmed in two weeks anyway, but the Enforcer (they used capital letters, so I will too) thinks it's so bad it needs to be trimmed in the next seven days or we risk correspondence or penalties. Based on the conditions of the 25 Palm trees I can see from my yard, none of my neighbors would consider this a seven day emergency. I'm guessing they also don't agree with the standard, which makes me wonder why we are trying to establish enforcement.

So, we have an enforcer touring the neighborhood for violations. We went for a drive last night. We passed hundreds of beautiful homes, but almost every single one had one or several things violating the new covenants.

Almost every single one was a beautiful home the owner clearly takes pride in. Just not 'perfect' according to these standards.

I'm also thinking about gas, paper, postage and the weird false sense of urgency that seems pretty disconnected from our island culture.

Since it's very different from the standard of upkeep a majority of us currently maintain, I'm confused. Am I off base or missing something?

Are they sending out thousands of notices and enforcing all this?

Karen Marie

Around continued from A1

This is the last weekend before the 100 day Tourist Season kicks in so get out there and take advantage of it, and say hello if you see us Around The Island.

By Brent Rourk Sometimes society is harsh on kids, especially on growing, independence-seeking, hormonally-raged and confused middle schoolers who are trying to navigate the middle school years unscathed or at these unscarred.

Kids get blamed for things they do and do not do. They try our patience at home and sometimes at school! Occasionally, we are too quick to forget the positive things they do and sometimes we simply are not made aware of incredible behaviors and deeds perform.

Suite Aquarius!

One way to judge how much rain we’ve had is to listen to the beat as you head down Aquarius Street. At about 25 mph when its dry the potholes, even in the Aquarius Extension which is less than four years old, play sort of an Ernest Tubb waltz with the speed humps providing the kick drum. But with the rain we’ve had now it’s more of a ZZ Topp rocker with the squeaky car springs from the dips in the new road providing the frills. If you go a little faster it sounds kind of like Bohemian Rhapsody – “Mama Mia! Mama Mia! We will not let you go!” In reality is sounds mostly like an old road that needs repair and a new road that wasn’t built with the proper underpinnings. Either way it’s the soundtrack of The Island.

So it was last week with a group of SMA 7th grade students who accompanied their class on a bowling outing and then to Cole Park.

Students walked around Cole Park, enjoying the scenery, playground equipment, peace, and airborne action in the skate park when three SMA 7th graders saw a girl of about 4 years old alone in the water by the shore. She began walking out towards a drop-off further out

while ignoring questions from the three boys, who were concerned for the girl’s safety.

The waves were crashing in and sharp rocks dotted the bottom of the water.

Thinking decisively and convinced that the girl was in extreme danger of drowning, two of the SMA 7th graders jumped in the water and carried her to shore. The boys figured that the girl must belong to a parent or one of the other schools visiting the park. Eventually, they found an adult who acknowledged that they were missing a girl. The boys were thanked by the mother and the school.

The quick action by SMA 7th grade students Jason Loria, Dylan Rich, and Cal Colwell (and some of their friends) no doubt saved this young girl’s life. Thankfully, nobody will ever know, because they rescued her in the face of some ominous conditions. We should be proud of these boys who acted promptly, bravely, and effectively. These three middle schoolers were nothing short of heroes.

Lightning Strike off the JFK Causeway

Seventh graders Dylan Rich, Jason Loria, and Cal Colwell acted quickly in saving the life of a young girl last week - young heroes photo by Brent Rourk

Youth Art Camp Island Style-Monday—Friday 1:00 pm-3:00 pm Grades 4th thru 6th | Session I- June 20-24 | Session II- July 11-15 Cost:$50 for the week. Pre-Pay & Register to save your space.

PACESETTER STEEL REALTORS ®

361-549-9901 Mobile 361-994-2924 Fax frankie.hicks@coldwellbanker.com 5034 Holly Road Corpus Christi, TX 78411

Frankie Hicks REALTOR®

Each Office Independently Owned and Operated

C

a

u

s

e

w

a

y

Climate Controlled Storage

Starting at $39.00

No loNG lease aGreemeNt! Climate CoNtrol oN site maNaGer opeN 7 Days eleCtroNiC Gate aCCess ViDeo surVeillaNCe HouseHolD & CommerCial moViNG supplies aVailable

Wa ldro nR oad

Allergy sufferers are having a banner year since it’s been about five years since we had a freeze hard enough to kill the pollywogs on the Mosquito Coast. But the good news is that living between the raindrops is still good on our little sandbar. Complaining about the rain is dang near to whining on the yacht – and we all know that’s not allowed.

Three SMA Students Save a Life

HEB

Flour Bluff

Lag una Sho res

flow, filling the ditch with salty lake water. The drivers who went flying through it this week spraying salt water up into the moving parts of their vehicles will soon be in for a rusty awakening.

May 19, 2016

Island Moon

Flo ur B luff Dr.

A4

Storage iS our buSineSS! offiCe Hours:

(361) 937-8673

m-f 8:30-6:00

sat 8:30-5:30

10514 S.P.i.d.

May 19, 2016

Island Moon

Stuff I Heard on the Island

May Moon Phases

By Dale Rankin The Corpus Christi City Council meeting had the feeling of a wake Tuesday after Mayor Nelda Martinez led things off with the resignation of now former City Manager Ron Olson. Olson made a rather abrupt exit at city hall but did an interview with KIII Anchorman (and Islander) Joe Gazin Tuesday night and had the look of a guy who had just about enough of the city’s way of doing business.

First of all, the current council members are not to blame for the problems that now beset our city; and they are big problems. The kind of problems that not even a single generation can create on their own. No, to get to the point we are takes several generations of a village.

What I saw Tuesday was three generations of oligarchic rule come crashing down on the current members of the council who have the bad luck to be collectively looking for a seat when the music finally stopped. The latest water-boil order is but a symptom.

Tides of the Week Tides for Bob Hall Pier May 19-26, 2016

Th

F

Sa

Su

M

Tu

W

Th

Day

High /Low

19 19 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26

High 4:02 AM 1.5 6:38 AM Low 10:10 AM 1.1 8:13 PM High 12:35 PM 1.2 Low 8:34 PM 0.1 High 4:47 AM 1.6 6:37 AM Low 8:59 PM 0.0 8:14 PM High 5:28 AM 1.7 6:37 AM Low 9:24 PM -0.1 8:14 PM High 6:07 AM 1.8 6:36 AM Low 9:51 PM -0.1 8:15 PM High 6:46 AM 1.8 6:36 AM Low 10:21 PM -0.2 8:15 PM High 7:26 AM 1.8 6:36 AM Low 10:55 PM -0.2 8:16 PM High 8:06 AM 1.8 6:35 AM Low 11:34 PM -0.2 8:17 PM High 8:46 AM 1.8 6:35 AM

Tide Time

Height in Feet

Sunrise Moon Time Sunset

Set 5:23 AM Rise 6:29 PM

Set 6:00 AM Rise 7:20 PM Set 6:39 AM Rise 8:12 PM Set 7:21 AM Rise 9:04 PM Set 8:07 AM Rise 9:55 PM Set 8:56 AM Rise 10:45 PM Set 9:48 AM Rise 11:33 PM Set 10:42 AM 8:17 PM

A5

Moon Visible

91

96 98 99 99 96

91 85

How bad is it? Here’s where we are. The city currently has an outstanding balance north of $270 million in unfunded pension responsibilities, unsecured debt, which increases at a rate of over $5 million per year.

This is the same type of debt that has pushed cities across the country into insolvency and for years we have been kicking the can down the road.

Generations of neglect have left city streets in need of an estimated $800 million in repairs. (at least under the current contract bidding process).

If you want to be able to drink the water, go to Mexico!

And then there’s this. The boil order is only the most recent development in an ongoing negotiation with state regulators about how to fix the city’s ancient water system. We have covered this in detail in previous issues but the numbers involved are an estimated $60 million for a patchwork fix but the real fix will cost an additional estimated $800 million. What the council heard from city staff Tuesday is that the new Mary Rhodes Pipeline to Lake Texana is delivering nitrogen-laden water to the city treatment system which can’t remove it and the old lines in some parts of town – Flour Bluff being the largest – make it demonstrably impossible to keep chlorine in the water that flows through them. The council has been discussing the situation in Executive Sessions for months and sooner or later some settlement will be reached and city taxpayers will end up with a gun to their collective head in the form of a consent decree or some other means that gives the state the power to demand repairs and that taxpayers cough up the money. This problem isn’t going away, it’s only now getting urgent.

Consider that this week local hotels were full of high schoolers in town for Senior Trips who will now spread the word that if you come here in the spring you have to bring your own drinking water.

In the wrong dam place

And then there was this…

Shortly after the Mayor dropped the Olson bombshell Tuesday a string of speakers addressed the council and brought up several problems that drove home the point that not much has changed. It was announced that that the operators of American Bank Center want to extent their state liquor permit to cover the entire building rather than just the existing bars there. The result of this would be to drive out local business people who currently cater events such as the SEA banquet this week and pay the ABC operators 20% of their liquor sales, and 15% of their food sales from their catered events but that’s not enough for the company which has a city-granted operations contract there – they want the whole enchilada.

Once more in our city the big ones eat the little ones with the acquiescence of city hall.

One of the speakers, I didn’t catch his first name but his last name was Jackson, said he moved to town to attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi and when there is an event there by contract it must catered by the largest food service provider in the county – his local company need not apply.

He said he also owns a business downtown and has looked to move into a vacant building only to find as an outsider he continually runs into roadblocks. Those things may not seem related to the water problem but I would assert that they are the product of same old Corpus Christi Way of Thinking that brought us to the recent boil order.

The city that never learns And by the time you read this there will have been a public hearing on the Plan CC 2035, a blueprint for the next generation. You can argue the finer points of the plan round or flat, but the thrust of it is to discourage development on the Southside and The Island and push it toward downtown where vast splotches of land and old buildings are vacant. Guess whose interest that serves? The same group of people who put the dam in the wrong place.

You can bet that if this plan is approved local developers will be looking for a way around it before the ink is dry on it. The same thinking that leads a city to try its hand at social engineering is what brought us the boil order. It’s like we haven’t learned anything.

What I see is a new generation of people moving to this town who see the problems and are asking good questions, like Mr. Jackson.

Why would a developer want to turn a downtown building which is plumbed as retail space with one restroom into a condo development which will required expensive renovation when that same developer can build a new, and cheaper, structure somewhere else?

The troubling part is that while the current council is having to deal with the consequences of three generations of self-servicing decision makers using council seats as their personal cash generators the same thinking is still driving the agenda.

Sooner or later transparency must inevitably win out, but in the meantime get ready for more boil orders.

Even with all the rain we had this week the lake levels in Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi barely moved and there’s a good chance we will be looking at water rationing again before long - why? Because the dam is in the wrong place. The site for the dam was selected not on the basis of where it made the most sense but rather where members of the oligarchy owned land they wanted to sell to the city. The result is we can’t store enough water there and had to reach out to Lake Texana and that’s how we got a boil order this week.

The BACK PORCH Triggerfish (5:30) Mike Blakely

May 19 May 20

Rosie Flores

May 21

The May 27 BACK PORCH Larry Joe Taylor May 28 Scarecrow People Bar June 3 Gary P. Nunn

ON THE WATERFRONT

132 W. Cotter St.

The

PortA

Keep in mind that as recently as the mid1980s less than thirty families owned 82% of the land in Nueces County. It’s hard to avoid an oligarchy under those conditions and decisions made by oligarchies put dams in the wrong place.

We’re ready to break ground on the Riley P Dog Park on Padre Island ... but we need your help.

RILEY P.

DOG PARK

Ex-City Manager Ron Olson

Calling All Dog Owners!

Donations

For Riley P. Dog Park

Five ways you can help:

mail to: 14015 Fortuna Dr. C.C., TX 78418

Join our fundraising committee Buy a personalized paving brick for your family or business

Name:________________

Address: ______________ ______________________

Make a cash donation Talk to a committee member about fundraising ideas

Phone: ________________

We are a 501 c3 non-profit corporation.

Make checks payable to Riley P. Dog Park, Inc. 14015 Fortuna Bay Dr.C.C., Tx 78418 Visit our website at: rileypdogpark.com or call Bev Hoffman (361) 949-7025

BACK PORCH

Email:_________________ ______________________

We now have Gluten Free Pizza!

One Bite and You’re Hooked!

Bar Prime Rib Wednesdays Mini Golf Great Food Family Fun Seafood, Steaks, Salads, Burgers & a Full Bar Open 11am - 2am • Kitchen Closes at 1am 2034 State Hwy 361

361-749-TACO (8226)

Family Owned & Operated Since 1987

Live Music

Ruben Limas Thursdays Brian Winfrey Fridays and Saturdays Reservations recommended

Daily Lunch Specials Monday - unlimited spaghetti salad and bread $7.50

Tuesday- 9 in. sub for 6in. sub price Wednesday- pasta menu full order for 1/2 order price Thursday- salad 6 in. sub and drink $6.50 Friday- unlimited dinner salad $5.99

The Original Pizza of Padre Island The Island's oldest full-service restaurant Private Party / Meeting Room Available by Reservation

Delivery on The Island after 5pm

Hours: Mon- Thurs 11 AM - 9:30 PM Fri - Sat 11 AM - 10 PM Sun 5-9:30 PM 15370 SPID (Just south of Whitecap) 949-7737 islanditalian.com

A6

Padre Island Farmer's Market

Pictures by Debbie Nobel

Island Moon

Pictures by Debbie Nobel

Next Market Thursday, May26th

Schlitterfun!

May 19, 2016

May 19, 2016

Island Moon

History continued from A1

pickles, tins of lard, scores of life jackets, rafts and even large lifeboats, and enough emergency rations to supply a good-sized army. The Rawalts their three-year-old son, Charlie, one kind of these rations – pemmican tablets – as a sort of tonic.

Some of the rafts and boats contained partly used provisions; whether the men who occupied the craft were rescued or swallowed by the sea is not known. Veteran beachcombers don’t look past the whipping whitecaps or talk of tragedy that dumps things into the sea. To them, the product of the beach like a farmer’s crop. Beachcombers merely say, “It came in.”

The grim reminders of war and man’s struggle in and with the sea precisely fit the Padre scene of wild desolation. I felt this when we crossed the pass and rolled onto Padre. The weapons carrier rumbled along the beach a few feet from the surf. Some forty feet of the beach was wet, and was as smooth and firm as a concrete turnpike. Occasionally we dodged a half-buried log.

In spots the beach was littered with such items as electric light bulbs, tin cans, bottles and lumber.

About forty-file miles down the island we ran into a large pile of small sea shells, which extended from low tide far up on the strand. They looked as if they had been dumped from trucks. A four-wheel drive comes in hand here. We groaned through five miles of these shoulders of small shells, which give the name Little Shell to the locality. Down the island a fee miles farther we came upon Big Shell, with great, loose heaps of large sea shells.

These made the truck heave and grind. Rawalt chuckled when he saw these shell banks. Once in Eastern company considered putting a button factory on Padre, and Rawalt was asked to count the shells in a large area and estimate the number on the beach.

This just struck Rawalt as funny.

Except for the dumps of shells, there was a dreary sameness to the beach and the sea wall of dunes. We finally came to the Devil’s Elbow, a bend a little sharper than the main curve of the island. Rawalt calls this area the graveyard. We stopped and got out of the truck.

The Elbow is a place of magnificent desolation. The whitecaps came curling over the bar to the beach which rises into ridges of sand. Some of the larger dunes beach hopeful names, such as Money Hill – so named because some old coins have been found there.

A7

Water continued from A1

amounts of chlorine in an attempt to remove the “plating.” This is the reason that Island water often reeks of chloride. To help combat the problem crews each month also drain Island lines by opening fire hydrants to remove the “stale” water. In the past the

According to Van Vleck Tuesday, in the springtime that water contains high levels of nitrates due to runoff into the Colorado River Basin from the agricultural lands which surround it. The problem, he said, is that the system’s water treatment plant has no way to remove the nitrates which flow into it.

“Our plant does not do that,” Van Vleck said of removing nitrates. “When nitrates flow into the plant they flow right out the other end. I have found no one in the country whose best practices can crash this problem.”

So nitrates from the fields of central Texas flow through the plant and into the water system across the city and can only be neutralized by the introduction of chlorine dioxide, a special process Van Vleck said, which is being used in San Patricio County with some success. The problem, Van Vleck said Tuesday, is that about 85% of the water pipes in the city were installed before 1950 and about 250 miles of it is made of cast iron which can serve to create a nitrogen residual in the lines which serves to remove chlorine from the water as it passes through.

“The problem is most acute in the Flour Bluff area where the water flows more slowly and therefore more of the chlorine is leeched out,” he said.

Preliminary figures Tuesday were that short-term cost of addressing the problem is around $60 million, however, for the past two years the city has been engaged in talks with TECQ to overhaul the city’s water and storm water systems which will cost an estimated $865 million – a figure that has continued to rise over time.

TCEQ officials released the following statement early Wednesday afternoon: “All public water systems are required to develop and maintain an up-to-date chemical and microbiological monitoring plan (30 Texas Administrative Code Section 290.121(a)). The monitoring plan is a tool to help water system operators coordinate all the monitoring requirements for different chemicals in the plant and distribution system. The monitoring plan identifies all sampling locations, describes the sampling frequency, and specifies the analytical procedures and laboratories that the public water system will use to comply with the monitoring requirements specified in TCEQ rules. The sampling locations are required to be representative of water quality throughout the distribution system (30 Texas Administrative Code Sections 290.109(c) and 290.110(c)(4)).”

“A boil water notice is triggered when conditions at a water system indicate that the potability of the drinking water supply has been compromised, and remains in effect until water distribution pressures in excess of 20 psi can consistently be maintained, a minimum of 0.2 mg/L free chlorine residual or

The Nicaragua Shortly before I visited the island, the Rawalts had spent two weeks there. They ran our of sugar. Mrs. Rawalt complained, in wifely fashion. Rawalt sauntered down to the sea. He saw the breakers lapping at a wooden bucket. The lid was watertight. The bucket was full of plum jam, which, according to the label, had been made in London. Rawalt toted it to camp and said, “This’ll have to do for sweetening.” Rawalt still had some of this this jam.

It tasted fresh and sweet.

On Padre, luck may come any time. A few years ago, statehighway engineers looked into the possibility of building roads on the island.. the wife of one of the engineers dug in the sand in the Elbow area and uncovered a small discolored metal box.

When she removed the lid she almost fainted. In the box were several rings, a fairly large diamond, a broken strand of coral beads, a cameo, and a sunburst brooch set with small diamonds and pearls. A man named John Mercer once kicked a tobacco tin and passed on. The man behind him picked it up and pocketed its contents, $300 in gold.

Coins by the hundreds – old money from England, France, Spain, Belgium, Mexico – have been found. The markings of many have been obliterated but dates can be read on some. Nearly all of them are ancient. The winds’ shifting of the sand sometimes uncovers coins, rotting timbers, pieces of metal. And the Gulf still delivers long-lost items. Rawalt, with sea squint in his eyes, said that after a blow fierce enough to rip up the sargassum, or gulfweed, a patient beachcombers may be rewarded with an ancient coin.

He said that such things apparently become lodged in tangles of sargassum and remain entangled for centuries, until a blow tears the weeds loose, or shakes a sunken hull.

A stretch of wild beach and a few treasure tales soon get the beachcomber’s lust into a man’s blood, he has the feeling that he might, by gouging in the sand, uncover a glove box full of doubloons. We walked the beach. The sea had been calm, and there was little chance for rich plunder.

Life jackets stuck out of the sand. A soldier’s aluminum canteen bobbed on the surf. We got it and examined it, and found that it had been made in 1942. We applied plier4s to the cap and found that it contained about an ounce of fresh water. I wondered who had been saving that last swallow and what had happened to him.

Rawalt took the beachcomber’s dispassionate attitude toward the canteen.

Brown Water Flowing From Island Tap Earlier This Month 0.5 mg/L chloramine residual (measured as total chlorine) is present throughout the system, and water samples collected for microbiological analysis are found negative for coliform organisms (30 Texas Administrative Code section 290.46(q)).

The public water supply system would collect samples at the sites identified in the monitoring plan. The TCEQ also tries to use the designated sample sites in the City of Corpus Christi monitoring plan. The City has dedicated sampling stations on their distribution lines, as identified in their monitoring plan.”

What it means for The Island

Massive Rain on Sunday Caused Water Damage to Hawksnest city has drained up to 30 million gallons of water per month out of fire hydrants around the city.

Two weeks ago Island residents reported brown water coming from Island taps but were told by city officials the water was still safe to drink.

The City of Port Aransas buys treated water from the Corpus Christi system which is delivered by a pipeline running along State Highway 361. Even though the water is treated when it is delivered, Port Aransas injects its own chlorine into the water as it flows north from the tank located just inside the Corpus Christi City Limits. They have not had a boil-order in effect.

The city is divided into two “pressure zones,” one for The Island and one for the rest of the city which effectively isolate each from problems in the other. In the case of each of the three boil orders in recent months the cause has been bad water found in test sites in the Flour Bluff area. When treated water flows through the two lines to The Island, a second line was added only last year, it flows through the Sand Dollar Treatment Plant where chlorine is added. However, due to the dead-end water lines on Island fingertip streets, (there are about 1200 dead-end mains around the city) there has been an ongoing problem with “stale” water which stays in the dead-end Island mains and forms a “plating” of organic matter inside the pipes which leeches out chlorine.

The problem, historically, has been more acute in neighborhoods on the south end of The Island, literally the end of the line.

City officials said Tuesday they believe the boil order should be confined to the Flour Bluff area and will request that TECQ officials allow the citywide order be lifted. As of Wednesday afternoon the order was still in effect.

For the past several years city crews have been dealing with the problem by “shocking” the Island water supply with large

Seafaring men know the tricks of the currents and the island’s peculiar function as a catchall of marine wreckage. In the rumrunning days a sleek yacht heavily loaded with good liquor was about to be overtaken in the Gulf by a Government cutter.

The skipper put his watertight liquor cases in nets and threw them overboard. He remarked to his mates, “This stuff’ll show up on Padre Island, and we can get it there. Some of it, anyhow.”

His calculation proved right. Much of the liquor did wash up. But the yachtsmen arrived a bit late and found several beachcombers have the time of their lives. Once, during prohibition, Rawalt found sixty-five cases of whisky on the island. There was a menand-dogs foot patrol on Padre during World War II, and one of the jobs of the Coast Guard officers was that of preventing too eager use of cognac, tequila, champagne, and other bottled stuff that came in.

Until al year or so ago there was visual proof that ships have piled up at the Devil’s Elbow. When the tide was low, the boilers of the Nicaragua, a merchantman which was blown aground in 1915, could be seen. Even this fairly modern ship became a storied mystery. There was a delightful rumor that in the bags of cement in her holds were machine guns and bullets for revolutionaries in Mexico.

The Island's

Edge Salon Booth Rental Available!

GIFTS CERTIFICATES AVALIABLE

Michelle Matthews

Hair Cuts & Color, Waxing, Hair Extensions, Special Occasion Hair, Airbrush Make Up, Feather Extensions Are you tired of wearing mascara? Do you suffer from black circles of smudged mascara? Do you want to have long beautiful lashes 24/7, even when you swim? Do you want longer fuller eyelashes? If you answered YES to any of these questions, we have the answer..........

XTREME™ EYELASH EXTENSIONS Michelle is a Master Hair Stylist

949-0794 www.theislandsedgehairsalon.com

having learned from the best and having trained top stylists herself.

She is an expert Colorist and Make Up Artist, and was the former Stylist and Make Up Artist for Miss Oklahoma.

Hours Tuesday‐Friday 10am‐6pm

Saturday 9am‐2pm

Walk‐Ins Welcome * Late Appointments Available

14813 S.P.I.D. Corpus Christi, TX 78418 (Next Door to Island Wash) Salon: 361‐949‐4890 www.michellessalon.com

A8

May 19, 2016

Island Moon

SPORTS Shake and Bake

Sports Talk Special to The Island Moon

Walter Johnson-The Big Train

By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon

By Dotson Lewis Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s Note: The Big Train’s record scoreless innings streak ended 102 years ago this week on May 14, 1914. I would like to have seen him pitch and better yet, tried to hit him. I always enjoyed the challenge of hitting a fast ball pitcher. I didn’t care much for right-handed “side-armers,” but it would have been fun. Hopefully, I would not have bailed out on the first pitch as it just nipped the outside corner of the plate.

Walter Johnson was the second of six children born to Frank Edwin Johnson and Minnie Olive Perry on a rural farm four miles west of Humboldt, Kansas. Although he was sometimes said to be of Swedish ancestry and

with 3,508 and was the only player in the 3,000 strikeout club for over 50 years until Bob Gibson recorded his 3,000th strikeout in 1974. Johnson led the league in strikeouts a Major League record 12 times— one more than current strikeout leader Nolan Ryan—including a record eight consecutive seasons. His gentle nature was legendary, and to this day he is held up as an example of good sportsmanship, while his name has become synonymous with friendly competition.

In May 1914 the headlines and the story, not only on the sport page, but on the first page of most newspapers in the east (of the Mississippi) were:

“Big Train’s Scoreless Streak Ends” The story read: “On May 14, 1914, Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson throws his 54th consecutive scoreless inning in Sportsman Park, Illinois, leading his Washington Senators to victory over the St. Louis Browns, 10-5. With the win, Johnson broke a 1910 record set by Jack Coombs of the Philadelphia Athletics, who threw 53 innings in a row without letting up a run.”

referred to by sportswriters as the "The Big Swede", Johnson's ancestors came from the British Isles.

Soon after he reached his fourteenth birthday, his family moved to California's Orange County in 1902. The Johnsons settled in the town of Olinda, a small oil boomtown located just east of Brea. In his youth, the young Walter Johnson split his time between playing baseball, working in the nearby oil fields, and going horseback riding. Johnson later attended Fullerton Union High School where he struck out 27 batters during a 15-inning game against Santa Ana High School. He later moved to Idaho, where he doubled as a telephone company employee and a pitcher for a Weiser-based team in the Idaho State League. Johnson was spotted by a talent scout and signed a contract with the Washington Senators in July 1907 at the age of nineteen.

Renown as The Premier Power Pitcher Of His Era Ty Cobb Recalled his first encounter with the Rookie Fast-Baller: "On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field. He was a rookie, and we licked our lips as we warmed up for the first game of a doubleheader in Washington.

Evidently, manager Pongo Joe Cantillon of the Nats had picked a rube out of the cornfields of the deepest bushes to pitch against us. ... He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty, with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves, and with a sidearm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance. ... One of the Tigers imitated a cow mooing, and we hollered at Cantillon: 'Get the pitchfork ready, Joe—your hayseed's on his way back to the barn.’... The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. And then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn't touch him. ... Every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park."

Johnson played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators retiring in 1927. He later served as manager of the Senators from 1929 through 1932 and for the Cleveland Indians from 1933 through 1935.

One of the most celebrated and dominating players in baseball history, Johnson established several pitching records, some of which remain unbroken. He remains by far the all-time career leader in shutouts with 110, second in wins with 417, and fourth in complete games with 531.

He once held the career record in strikeouts

No one could take their eyes off of him. He could outrace the wind; it was like playing basketball with a Chihuahua. A raw talent, he was as cool as a finger roll in February. Only two things scared this guy, losing and not winning. The man was so positive that when talking to him, you got the feeling that he still believed in Santa Claus. Nothing he ever did was text book. Elmer Anderson, his high school teammate once said, “He could make the opponent’s fans stand up in anticipation of his next move. They all knew something remarkable was coming next. They just didn’t know what it would be.” Watching him play, I could feel the excitement in my chest; I felt goose bumps on my goose bumps. He loved playing basketball; he’d play in your backyard if you asked him. If you went to a game and saw only him play, you would be entertained.

This guy was sensitive yet strong. He could play a piano and move it, too. The man was

just opened and we were drawing around 18,000 fans a game. It got to 25,000 when Pearl came here. He made our program.”

Washington became the Big East Rookieof-the-Year. He was named First Team AllBig East, all three years of college, and was selected First Team All-American, in 1985. At 6’2” and weighing 190 pounds, he averaged scoring 15.7 points per game, 6.7 assists per game, and collected 2.7 rebounds per game.

Pearl saved some of his best performances for Madison Square Garden. Syracuse could have beaten these guys in an airport or in a phone booth. He scored 35 points in two separate games against St. John’s and Georgetown, in the Big East Finals in 1986. Syracuse lost to a David Robinson-led Navy team, in the second round of the 1986 NCAA Tournament; and Pearl announced he was leaving Syracuse early

Johnson’s fastball was thought to be the fastest in the world. Though he was dubbed the “Big Train,” the ferocity of his pitches was a stark contrast to his gentlemanly manner on and off the mound. In an era when ballplayers were typically profane and more than a little rough around the edges, Johnson was pious, softspoken and dignified.

Johnson’s scoreless inning streak in 1913 began on April 10, and lasted 55 and 2/3 innings pitched. He threw an impressive six shutouts in a row before finally being scored on by the Browns on May 14. 1913 was just one of Johnson’s many dominant seasons. Over the course of his career, he led the American League in strikeouts 12 times. At retirement, he led the American League in complete games with 29, led in ERA with a 1.14 and had pitched 11 shutouts and struck out 243 batters on his way to 36 wins and an .837 winning percentage.

Though Johnson’s 417 career wins make him second only to Cy Young, he also lost 279 games, mostly because of the ineptitude of his team. His career ERA of 2.17 ranks seventh all-time, but his .591 winning percentage is relatively low, as he spent the majority of his career with a perennially losing ball club in Washington. Fans often said of the Senators: “first in war, first in peace, last in the American League.”

Upon his retirement in 1927, Johnson held the career record for strikeouts with 3,508, a record that would stand for 56 years. His record of 110 career shutouts, 20 more than the next closest pitcher, is likely to stand forever. Johnson was a charter member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Cy Young in 1936.

Johnson’s record of consecutive scoreless innings stood for 55 years until 1968 when Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers put together 58 and 2/3 innings without allowing a run. Orel Hershiser of the Dodgers bested them both in 1988, with 59 consecutive shutout innings. Dotson’s Other Note: My dad never made the Big Show, but was a well-known player in his day (1914-1928). He was a catcher and left handed batter (often compared, by his friends, to “The Babe”), and always maintained that Johnson had, by far, the fastest ball every thrown. He should have known, he saw them all from Cy Young to Nolan Ryan.

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-

Nolan Ryan

W illiam a. T hau iii, P.C. “F ormer U.S. N avy L awyer ”

l Divorce and Separation l Child Custody and Support l Adoption/Guardianship l Paternity Cases l Wills and Probate

l Auto Accidents l Personal Injury l DWI l Criminal Justice l Military Law

Pearl Washington always on display, and he played like it was the fourth quarter every day. He could turn an “L” into a “W” in a heartbeat. There have many great players, who used the cross-over dribble to beat their man off the ball; but this fellow was so smooth, it looked like he had invented the move. Courtside announcers began to make up names. “Shake and Bake” was my favorite.

Most basketball players can’t read the defense and find the open man at the same time. They look for one or the other. Like Bob Cousy or Jerry West, he saw things that other people didn’t see. He read the defense and threw to a spot. If you said Bird, you would eventually hear “Magic.” Say Wilt and you would hear Russell, but say “Pearl” and you heard Syracuse.

Some guys don’t need a last name.

The Chinese have three truths: My truth, your truth and the truth. The truth about Pearl Washington was that he was a great college player. Your truth and mine didn’t matter.

Only two people knew what Washington was going to do, God and Pearl. Beat writers found themselves summing up Syracuse basketball game results with three words, “Too much Pearl.”

Dwayne Alonzo “Pearl” Washington was born on January 24, 1964. He grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York.

He acquired the nickname Pearl at the age of 8, after one of the NBA’s greatest point guards, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. Washington became a New York City playground legend, who played his high school ball at Boys and Girls High School. Scoring 35 points per game, pulling down ten rebounds, and dishing out eight assists as a senior, he became the #1 ranked high school player and one of the most highly recruited basketball players in the entire country. His name would be included in conversations with the likes of Connie Hawkins and Roger Brown.

His high school coach, Paul Brown, said, “Pearl was a caring, compassionate person, who was always there for his friends.” Pearl even attended the Five-Star basketball camp run by Howard Garfinkel. In 1983, Washington chose Syracuse University, determined to make the Carrier Dome his home.

Interestingly, twenty years to the day after he was born, January 24, 1984, Pearl made his national debut in a televised game against the University of Boston College Eagles. When Eagles’ Martin Clark missed a free throw in a tie game with only a few seconds on the clock, Pearl took an outlet pass, drove up court, and swished the winning shot from beyond half court, as time ran out. The best part of this story reminded me of “Bo” Jackson with the Raiders.

As the ball left his hands, Pearl continued to run all the way to the locker room without stopping to look back and see if he had made the shot.

A legend was born. For years, Syracuse fans would imitate that winning shot whenever they met Pearl in person. It has been said that the shot Pearl made was one of the single most important shots in Big East history. Pearl not only became the face of Syracuse basketball, but also of the Big East Conference.

“I thought he was the most exciting guard I had ever seen,” said Syracuse Basketball Coach, Jim Boeheim. “The Carrier Dome had

for the NBA. “March Madness, one bad ten minutes and you’re going home,” said Pearl.

He left Syracuse a year early for the NBA. Washington was chosen the 13th player in the 1986 NBA draft, by the New Jersey Nets. He played two seasons with the Nets and finished his NBA career with the Miami Heat. He disappeared faster than David Robinson’s hairline. Due to injuries, his lack of size, and surrounded by poor players, he only lasted three seasons. He never really developed a consistent outside shot. His game was all about taking it to the basket. Following his dismissal from the Heat, Pearl played for the Rapid City Thrillers and San Jose Jammers, of the Continental Basketball Association.

Syracuse retired his #31 in 1996 and his high school soon followed. To his credit, he returned to earn a degree and later on, began to work on a master’s degree.

Pearl Washington was a part of my life because basketball was a part of my life. His hipshaking and change-of-pace moves allowed him to get to the rim from anywhere, against anybody. Coach Bobby Knight, one of Pearl’s coaches at the Five-Star camp, always claimed that driving to the basket was much underrated in today’s game. “You can score, get fouled, foul out an opposing player, or get an easy assist,” said Knight. Pearl understood and excelled at taking it to the hole.

In January, 2016, as Washington’s health continued to deteriorate, the Syracuse team decided to wear orange warm-up shirts with the name “Pearl” on the front. ESPN college basketball analyst, Jay Bilas, gave the movement “GoFundMe” page some national exposure, as friends tried to raise money to help the family with medical expenses.

Pearl Washington was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1995. The will to live is a powerful thing, and Pearl persevered. He required more surgery last August, 2015, to combat the return of the cancer. He died on Wednesday, April 20, 2016. He was 52. In the end he required around-the-clock care and a wheelchair. They all came to his funeral: Chris Mullin, Kenny Smith, Ed Pinckney, Earl Monroe, Derrick Coleman, Dave Bing, Jim Boeheim, and many, many more.

For many college basketball fans, the thrill is gone. Orson Welles once said, “If you want a happy ending that depends on when you stop your story.” The old playground saying, “Who’s next?” just took on a whole new meaning in Heaven, when Pearl arrived.

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.

ConvenienT Flour BluFF loCaTion 9708 S.P.I.D., Suite A-101 s C orPus C hrisTi (361) 937-5513 s T oll F ree 1-877-888-1369 Licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas Former President of the Corpus Christi Family Law Association (1999-2000) Selected as a Texas “Super Lawyer” in November 2003, October 2004 and October 2005 Issues of Texas Monthly

Photo by Ronnie Narmour

May 19, 2016

A9

Island Moon

Bacterial Allies in Cleaning Oil Spills Relying on the unseen majority to eat the oil; how bacteria are our stealthy crusaders PORT ARANSAS, Texas - Microbiologists at The University of Texas with their colleagues have cracked the genetic code of how bacteria break down oil from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and what specific bacteria are responsible. Their understanding of which bacteria are important in breaking down oil, can lead to human emergency responses that are

equivalent to a concert. All the musicians have to work together to make a piece of beautiful music. After the spill, also bacteria must work together to efficiently degrade oil” Nina Dombrowski said.

The research team relied upon expertise from many scientists including an undergraduate student who helped assemble genes from the

TGSA by Rob Henson

The Best Pizzeria in the Coastal Bend Now Serving

Pizza

By The Slice!

Surface Oil Slick From the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill more “bacteria-friendly”, for example by the development of better dispersants. It may also provide solutions to creating dispersants that are more susceptible to breakdown by bacteria after they have done their job of dispersing the oil.

Scientists know that certain bacteria thrive after a spill and help break down oil but lacked insights into how this is coordinated. In a study released today in Nature Microbiology, Nina Dombrowski (Postdoctoral researcher in the Baker Lab at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute) and her colleagues have cataloged the genes of several bacteria from the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill to figure out how bacteria “eat” oil. Oil is a very complex fluid that contains up to 1000 different types of chemicals, many of which are difficult to break down. With these new findings scientists can now pin point the pathways that native Gulf of Mexico bacteria use help break up the oil.

The bacterial community naturally found in the ocean is extremely complex and these findings indicate bacteria are relying upon each other as a community to break down the oil. “It’s the

bacteria and make sense of what bacteria were eating which part of the oil. “It seems unreal.

Science is relatively new to me and in less than two months, I was able to contribute to a discovery that is shaping the way we think about bacteria” said John Donaho, a senior at Portland State University.

The microbiologists even found evidence that some of these bacteria can degrade sulfur-containing compounds, which are also part of the Coexit dispersant used during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Another significant finding, was that they also found bacteria that can eat the really robust oil components, like aromatic hydrocarbons, which can cause cancer. “In our research we find actually quite a number of bacteria which can deal with these environmentally more dangerous compounds” Dombrowski said.

Only $3.99

For any 1-topping Slice Only 25 for Each Additional Topping Monday Thru Friday 11am - 3pm Dine-in and Pick-up Only

949-0787 14493 S.P.I.D Suite E

padrepizzeria.com

Gluten Free • Wine Wednesday - Half Price Bottles All Day • Monday football special $1.99 domestic draft beer all day

The likelihood of future oil spills is almost a certainty. This new information provides evidence that the incredibly diverse bacterial community that is already living in the ocean has the ability to help break it down.

Fabric Based

Remote Controlled Electric Retractable Screens

Hurricane protected patio and windows (No need to move any items inside)

Pictures of home on N. Padre Island (Contact us for viewing appointment)

• Hurricane screens eliminate the need for hurricane windows or shutters • Keeps you warm in the winter, cool in the summer, great for entertaining • Keeps out mosquitoes, flies, wasps, rain, salt-air grime, dew, and wind Passes Texas Department of Insurance inspection FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Call today - (361) 853-2443

Did Ya Hear?

New Advertisers Corpus Christi Cycle Plaza is offering a free trailer with the purchase of any in stock Kawasaki Jet Ski. Visit their showroom at 2937 S.P.I.D. for details.

Dr. Christi Kresser

Voted Best Veterinarian 2006-2015

Business Briefs Boathouse Bar & Grill will celebrate their 3 Year Anniversary on the patio on Sat. May 28th Special food menu in addition to regular menu, $3 drink and shot specials. Live music 3p-close

Thank You For Supporting & Voting Us #1 in the CHRISTI KRESSER VETERINARIAN Corpus Christi & Coastal Bend Area

JB's German Bakery is celebrating their 5th birthday with any strudel or pastry for $2.50 through Friday.

Ray Wylie Hubbard will be playing at Palmilla Beach and Golf Resort on Saturday, May 28th 9 – 10:30 pm. General admission tickets are $20. The concert will be held on the lawn adjacent to the Black Marlin Restaurant. Bring your own blankets and lawn chairs. Beverage will be available for purchase. This concert is part of the 3rd Annual Summer Concert series.

Beach to Bay is this Saturday, May 21st so plan on not leaving your home until around 10:30- 11 am to avoid the traffic jam.

Doc’s Seafood & Steak Restaurant website has a live camera facing the laguna. You can also check out their daily specials on the site. They have drink and food selections for happy hour weekdays 3 – 7 pm. They have the perfect location for events such as weddings, fishing tournaments, reunions, office parties, birthdays or club organization dinners.

Dine Island is a restaurant event offering a unique three course dining experience at a value price until May 25th. The participating restaurants are Veranda, Costa Sur, Boathouse, Angry Marlin, Padre Pizzeria, Island Time Sushi, JB's German Bakery, A la Mode Gelateria, Mikel Mays, Scuttlebutt’s, Surf Side, Texas Mesquite BBQ, Black Sheep Bistro / Barrel, Dragonfly and Aunt Sissy's Kitchen. A $1 donation from each meal sold will be given to the Food Bank. Go to their Dine Island Menus 2016 Facebook page for each menu.

The last half of April five waterfront homes sold for an average price of $406,335 and twelve interior lot homes sold for an average price of $272,900.

Common Sense A Penny Saved... A Stitch In Time... An Ounce Of Prevention...

Do The Right Thing...

Annual Vaccine Package Bordetella Rabies, Influenza Distemper / Parvo

$50 Off

Every Tuesday In May

Heartworm Prevention 1 Year of TRIFEXIS $25 Dr. Kresser Discount $50 Trifexis Gift Card $40 Free Heartworm Test

$115 TOTAL Savings Any Day In May

Spay/Neuter Early... Vaccinate Your Pets Annually...

Heartworm Prevention Once A Month...

See Specials at:

padrevet.com

14802 Compass (361) 949-8200

A10

Island Moon

May 19, 2016