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The Island Moon Published by Island Moon Publishing, LLC 15201 S. Padre Island Drive Ste. 250 Corpus Christi, TX. 78418 editor@islandmoon.com (361) 949-7700
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The
Island Moon The Island Newspaper since 1996
Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment
September 20, 2012
The Island where you never want to sell your parrot to the town gossip. Next Publication Date: 9/27/2012 Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
It’s been a busy week Around The Island as we actually got a bit of rain and some relief from the summer heat. To quote Moon Monkey Jay in this issue “Fishing is on Fire!” The fish are starting to migrate though the passes and anglers are having good luck on the jetties and along Packery Channel. For specific information see Jay’s and Joey’s columns in this issue.
Signs of the times The political season is upon us and The Island has been seen an invasion of political signs up and down SPID. Candidates in the city races have been working Island voters in preparation for the Island United Political Action Committee endorsements which hold sway over the votes cast by the 6200 registered Island voters. It is this time of the political season when Islander voters, whose two precincts always have the highest turnout in Nueces County, become the prettiest girl at the ball. Vote early and vote often.
Overlay Zone sign sweep Speaking of signs, you may have noticed a dearth of signs in front of businesses along SPID of late. The city’s Sign Police, who go by the wordy and more formal name of Code Enforcement Division of the City’s Neighborhood Services Department, began sweeping various zones in the city several weeks ago primarily as a result of complaints from citizens over political signs which were left up after the last round of elections two years ago and are still there. But when the Sign Police got to The Island not only were they looking at political signs but also at violations of the Island Overlay Zone sign ordinance passed in 2004. Interestingly about the time the Sign Police showed up on The Island the copy of the Overlay Ordinance which gives details about what signs are legal and which are not disappeared from the city’s website after being there for years. Luckily we kept a hard copy. In general, the Overlay Zone covers the entire Island business district and says that any sign that is not attached to a building must be made of the same material as the building in which the business is located –brick, stucco, etc. That means all banners, pin signs, flags, and kites are illegal. The sign police have been telling Island businesses they have one week to remove them or they will be fined. Some of the provisions in the Overlay Ordinance are draconian and we’re waiting for local business owners to demand some changes. As always, the best way to get rid of a flawed law is to enforce it; in the meantime, it’s the sign law of the times.
Oily bubbles natural troubles The oil and tar that washed up on area beaches last week has been declared naturally occurring by the Padre Island National Seashore. It began showing up way down at the 39 Mile Marker then made its way to Bob Hall Pier but has since ceased.
Coyote trouble Island coyotes are in the news once again of late. Coyote sightings are so common most Islanders take them for granted. But things have been getting worse this dry summer and now the city of Port Aransas is considering drastic measures, even shooting them. Port Aransas has a trapping program which helps somewhat to limit the numbers, but on the Padre end of The Island there is no ongoing attempt to counter the flourishing coyote population. We have all heard of someone who has lost a pet to them, or encountered a coyote – or pack of coyotes – walking Island streets. These guys are not afraid of humans. It is many an Island pet owner who has left a garage door up only to find a wily coyote with its head stuck in a bag of dog food. There have been cases of them biting humans.
Island Backs Adler for Mayor, McIntyre for District 4 in November Elections
Decision on At-Large Races Set for Wednesday, September 26 By Dale Rankin
The Island United Politcal Action Committee voted Wednesday to endorse current District 4 City Council Member Chris Adler for Mayor of Corpus Christi in the November city elections, and Islander Colleen McIntyre in the race for City Council District 4 which includes The Island. Next Wednesday, September 26, at 6 p.m. the PAC will hold a public meeting at Comfort Suites on Windward to choose who to endorse in the race for the three At-Large Council seats which are also on the November ballot. All 6200 registered voters who live on The Island are eligible to vote for the PAC candidates. 139 voters cast ballots before the Wednesday meeting through the PAC’s early voting process, another 150 turned out for the meeting at the Holiday Inn. The votes were cast though a process which did not require voters to declare publicly who they voted for; the same process used in official voting. A total of 204 votes were cast in the Mayoral race, out of which Chris Adler received 105. In the race for District 4 McIntyre garnered 165 out of 177 votes cast.
many Island voters whose precincts regularly have the highest turnout of any precincts in Nueces County and who were against the change because they feared the city elections would become partisan with candidates aligned with political parties. There were also concerns about the length of the November ballot with the city elections at the bottom and whether there would be voter fatigue. In the spring elections typically about 25,000 voters cast ballots, while in the November cycle about 60,000 vote during Gubanatorial elections and just over 100,000 in the Presidential elections.
Signs of the Island
Election Continued on A6
All-volunteer coastal cleanup effort expected to draw about 10,000 beach lovers Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is urging all Texans to take advantage of their right to access the public beach Saturday, Sept. 22 for the 26th Annual Texas General Land Office Fall Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup. The cleanup will take place at 29 sites along the Texas coast. Adopt-A-Beach volunteers can register at any of 28 check-in sites all along the Texas coast between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Sept. 22. Volunteers must pre-register for the St. Jo Island location in advance. Volunteers should wear shoes, a hat and sunscreen. Volunteers will be given data cards, gloves, pencils and trash bags. Most sites along the coast conclude the day’s cleanup with cold drinks, hot food and lots of fun. Volunteers may register on-line at www. TexasAdoptABeach.org or become a fan of the Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach program on Facebook. Texans who can’t make it to the beach but still want to support the effort can make a tax-deductible donation at www. TexasAdoptABeach.org. Sponsorship levels range from $25 to $25,000. Adopt-A-Beach Continued on A5
9th Annual Conquer the Coast This Weekend One year after the biggest turnout ever for Conquer the Coast, South Texas’ premiere cycling event, it seems the event has not lost momentum. Over 1,100 cyclists have already registered for one of the three rides (65-mile “long” ride, 25 mile “intermediate” ride, 10mile “family” cruise) that take place this Saturday, Sept. 22.
It won’t be long until the Winter Texans begin arriving with their Little Yappy Dogs and we start getting our annual calls to the Moon office from people who have lost one.
That’s all for now. Say Hello if you see us Around The Island.
The November elections will be the third round of city elections in which the PAC has endorsed candidates; in the previous two city elections the group has endorsed a total of ten candidates of whom nine won their races. This round of balloting will mark the first time the city elections have been held in November in conjunction with state and national elections. Previous city elections were held as stand-alone votes in the spring but that was changed after a citywide vote during city elections eighteen months ago after the current council voted 5-4 in favor of putting the change of election day before voters. The move was not popular with
Adopt-A-Beach Fall Cleanup Sept. 22
There are those who will tell you that the coyotes were here first and so should be left alone, but ask them if they feel that way about the rattlesnakes who were also here first.
One thing we know about coyotes is that push against the human population until the humans push back. It may be time for some pushback.
Year 15, Issue 441
Say what? When it comes to positioning signs on The Island it’s apparently first come first served. The best we can tell this one instructs motorists “VISITOR Yield FO ONE WAY TER.” Well alrighty then.
A little Island history
Comanches Raid Victoria, Wipe Out the Town of Linnville, Escape Wearing Top Hats By Dale Rankin It was the summer of 1840 and the Comanche Indians were on the warpath. The band of 1000 warriors formed under the leadership of Chief Buffalo Hump, leader of the Penateka band of the Comanche tribe and included some Kiowas. Buffalo Hump was out to revenge what he saw as an ambush of a group of Comanche Chiefs during their meeting at the Council House in San Antonio a few weeks earlier. Several had been killed and many captured and Buffalo Hump was out for Anglo blood.
Light of a new moon Over 1,200 riders participated in Conquer the Coast last year. “We’re about 5% ahead of where we were last year five days out,” said event director J.J. Gottsch. “In addition to Conquer Continued on A5
In early August by the light of a new moon, they set out from the Texas Hill Country through the Guadalupe Valley to the vacant brushland between San Antonio and the settlements along Buffalo Bayou near present
day Houston. On August 6 they appeared out of the brush and set upon the town of Victoria which was taken completely by surprise. It was the largest Indian raid ever by any tribe against an Anglo settlement in U.S. history and became known as the Great Raid of 1840. Before it was done Victoria would be in ruins and the town of Linnville, near present day Port Lavaca, which was at the time the second largest port in Texas would be wiped off the face of the earth forever. A group of Texas Rangers under Captain Ben McCulloch had crossed the tracks of the Comanche war party and were shadowing them but were unaware that a portion of the warriors had broken off and were headed for Victoria, killing farmers and slaves in the fields along the way. The first clue that Victoria had of the raid was History Continued on A6