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The Island Newspaper since 1996 Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment
December 20, 2012
Happy Holidays from the Island Moon Monkeysz
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
If you are reading this after midnight on Thursday then we have survived the End of Days as some believed the Mayan Calendar predicted it looks like we’ll be okay. As we said last time we don’t use a Mayan Calendar here at the Moon, we mostly use a Dog Calendar that someone gave us and it goes right on through 2013 so maybe we can relax. Now we only have to worry about the End of the World predicted by those guys on last night television and they’ve cried Wolf so many times we ignore them without having to send them any money. If the Weather Wonks got it right and you are in fact reading this after Thursday midnight then the wind should be blowing from the north and the temperatures should be dropping below the 85 degrees we’ve had for most of the third week of December when we had no rain, no clouds, no wind to speak of. What more could we ask for? If the Weather Wonks get that one right we’ll be playing chicken with a cold front that could bring some ice to our friends who live way OTB. So as the Holiday Season moves on be prepared to bring in your brass monkeys. Things have been kind of slow on our Island this week. The big La Posada season is over and Islanders now seem to be getting ready for the Holiday Rush. It is likely to be a rather busy weekend since Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year it means a lot of people will take Monday off and head for The Island for the weekend and the holiday. Did you ever wonder how Santa finds those kids who are in their second home on the Coast for the holidays? Seems like they would have to send in some kind of Change of Chimney Address. It’s a real Yuletide Head Scratcher.
Power to The Island People! We had another power outage last Friday morning. AEP says 2035 homes on The Island were without power after a bird – probably a pelican – flew into a line; that’s what they said folks. The first power went out at 6:30 a.m. and the last power came back on at 9:10 a.m. We have requested a list of all power outages in 2012 from AEP but as of this writing have not received them. Our next issue will be on January 3 and will contain a new section for our Winter Texan friends who the coming Cold Front will blow this way. So get ready for the Belt Sander Racing Season, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and we’ll see you on the other side. Have a happy holiday ya’ll. In the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.
Next Publication Date: 1/3/2012
State Representative Hunter Says Water, Windstorm, Education and Gaming to Dominate Legislative Agenda
“There are going to be some people, mostly from North Texas, who are going to try to raise your windstorm insurance rates, or put limits on your coverage,” Hunter told the Kiwanis Club on Wednesday at their regular noon meeting at The Barrel. “It is under control for now,” he told the crowd, “but don’t trust anyone except yourselves and be ready to let them hear from you when the time is right.” He said the issue should come into clearer focus when House committee assignments are made and the committees seated in late January. A rally is scheduled for March 5 at a so-far unannounced location in Austin. We will supply full details as soon as we have them. Also on the legislative agenda is legalized casino gambling in the state. Hunter said the issue likely won’t get to a House vote until an expected special session to deal with education funding. A pending court ruling is expected to place the State House clearly in the crosshairs to come up with new funding plan for public schools in the state and money – or lack thereof Todd Hunter Continued on A5
Don’t forget, the Island Moon will not publish a regular weekly edition on Thursday, December 27th so read this issue real slow. We will return on Thursday, January 3rd.
of any county. There are nine rigs running in the county, but even that is down from the peak of 15 in September 2012. The natural gas rig count fell four rigs to 49.
La Salle County leads development with 39 rigs running. Karnes with 35 rigs, McMullen (28), Dimmit (22), Gonzales (22), Webb (22), DeWitt (19), Live Oak (13), Atascosa (9), Fayette (8) and Lavaca (8) round out the top Eagle Ford counties.
Texas has reversed 30 years of declining oil production. Texas production eclipsed 2 million barrels per day in September 2012 and has almost doubled from lows just a few years ago. U.S. production is up almost 62% over the same time period.
266 rigs As of this week in the Eagle Ford Shale there are currently 266 rigs running. Atascosa County, with an increase of two rigs drilling, had the biggest change
Island Man Found Trapping Coyotes
State Representative Todd Hunter, who represents The Island in the Texas State Legislature, says water, windstorm insurance, education funding, and casino gaming will be the items for Islanders to watch in the session of the legislature which kicks off in January in Austin.
Texas Oil Production Tops 1988 Levels
We have so many people on The Island whose jobs depend on or are related to the Eagle Ford Shale play that we will provide periodic updates on activity there. The latest news is that the level of oil production in Texas this week passed the statewide levels from 1988, the last time oil production in Texas took off.
Year 15, Issue 454
By Dale Rankin
Eagle Ford Shale Update
Eagle Ford at night
Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
Eagle Ford crude priced at $97.75/bbl on the 6th of December. Light crude and condensate in the area traded at $82.75 and $81.75, respectively.
This guy was one of twelve coyotes caught in leg traps placed in the open area just south of Sea Pines. By Dale Rankin When Islander David Pierce patrols the privately owned land just south of Sea Pines he is used to seeing coyotes. The open acreage between the Kleberg County line and Padre Island National Seashore is open and abuts the southernmost neighborhoods on The Island and is home to substantial wildlife population with numerous deer and coyotes as well as other critters.
and when Game Wardens arrived they spoke to the homeowner who showed them a total of eight traps he had been using to catch the coyotes since mid November.
Game Warden Saul Aguillar said while trapping coyotes is not illegal, doing it without the property owners permission is trespassing. The coyote pelts are bringing about $40 each these days and Aguillar said about twelve had been caught since the trapping began.
But earlier this week David got a surprise as he made regular patrol through the area. The coyotes he found were caught in leg traps.
The two men who were operating the traps showed the wardens where the remaining traps were located and all have now been removed.
“I never thought on my weekly patrols of the property I would find our own nature’s neighbor (the coyote) cruelly trapped by a spring loaded ankle trap and left to suffer until the trap setter would return at his convenience to score,” he said.
“Our biggest concern was that a lot of people walk through that property to go fishing at Night Hawk Bay and these traps are hidden,” Aguillar said. “It would be easy for someone to step in one of them and get seriously hurt.”
Pierce followed the ATV tracks he found around the trap sites to a house on Allamanda
Pierce said since the land is privately owned permission is required before anyone can legally enter.
101 Reasons You Might Be An Islander… (or not)
Salty Sue and Island Mike have written a book entitled 101 Reasons You Might Be An Islander (or not). The illustrations are done by Wes Nyle and it is just in time for Christmas and may be the ultimate Island Stocking Stuffer. It is available at Isle Mail & More.
You know you’re an Islander when… You must explain to your in-town friends that OTB translates into “Over The Bridge” which translates to a “Trip To The City” which translates into “Nobody Wants To Go.” Your wardrobe includes yard flip flops, town flip flops, and wedding flip flops. You ask your house guests what they
would like to drink and the choices are limited to beer and bottled water.
Your OTB friends think you live too far to come and visit, but you have plenty of out of town guests.
You don’t take a shower before you leave home, but you do take a shower before you come home
You know that South Padre Island Drive takes you to North Padre Island A hurricane means Surf’s Up!
The kids are friends, the parents are friends, and everyone hangs out together
You’re still amazed that every time you drive over the bridge onto The Island your whole body relaxes
A little Island history
Yes Boys and Girls – We Had a White Christmas on The Island By Dale Rankin Everyone who lived on The Island in 2004 remembers where they were when it happened. For some people it was a phone call followed by a look out the front window, for others it was the first flakes that tickled their nose, or started the dog barking. But everyone remembers where they saw the first snow on The Island on Christmas Eve 2004. It had been 86 years since The Island had a White Christmas; in 1918 one inch of snow fell on Christmas Day. But this was a two-day event that put turned The Island into a winter wonderland with three inches. It started in a perfectly Dickensian way when snow first began falling on cue on Christmas Eve. Cell phones on The Island lit up as friends called each other to look outside. If any Island kids were able to sleep that night at all, they awoke the next morning to a beautiful blanket of three inches of white covering their Island. Snow covered the Coastal Bend from Galveston, to Brownsville and as far inland as Goliad and Victoria. The snowfall got Snow! Continued on A9
Moon Founder Mike Ellis