Inside the Moon
Castles in the Sand A4
Travel to Greece A4
Fishing A7
Sports A8
The
Issue 591
Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996
August 13, 2015
Prior to the attacks on fire hydrants, a fire in a storage unit on SPID which would have been confined to a single unit had the nearest fire hydrant been usable. However due to its advanced state of rust it was unusable and the result was a conflagration that took out several units. That prompted a complete review of all Island hydrants which found that about eighty percent of them needed work due to the harsh Island climate. But even that work won’t make them impervious to speeding cars and the Island streets, which rely on sand for their support, are susceptible to collapse due to undermining by flowing water from whatever source. The entire intersection at Gypsy and Whitecap collapsed when the sewer line began leaking. So the good news is that most Island fire hydrants should be working by now, the bad news is that when people run over them the street is going to collapse. The best solution is not to run into them, but so far we’re not doing very well at that.
Water system repairs The City of Corpus Christi this week announced they will install backflow preventers on the 126 registered water wells in Flour Bluff. The move is a response to the E-coli found in the drinking water there a few weeks ago resulting in a boil order for the entire city. The city determined that they bacteria probably entered the water system through a house in Flour Bluff that was connected to both a water well and city water, allowing the contaminated well water to enter the citywide system. E-coli which city staff said likely meant that the pollution never reached The Island. The staff has not determined there are any licensed water wells on The Island which are also connected to houses. Irrigation wells do not require backflow protectors if they are not connected to the city water supply.
Cool clear water There has been a cool water upwelling along area beaches which this week dropped the water temperature to 82 degrees. Rain in the area south of us blown by the prevailing south east wind may be the cause. The water movement has left near-shore water in some spots a chocolate brown. Bob Hall Pier water temperature traditionally peaks on August 21 between 82 to 86 degrees so the water temperature is on the low end of that range. But the blue water is in close to shore and Diver Dave reports that visibility is 50-60 feet just five miles offshore and 80-100 feet once you get twentyfive miles out. On the downside, he says visibility at the Nearshore Reef 10 miles off of Packery Channel is poor due to prevailing currents which cover all but the top of the boat with a continuous river of silt.
Crime Each week we go through the police reports from The Island to gather information for the Police Blotter. The last two weeks there has been a big jump in burglaries, mostly from cars and mostly along the seawall. But there have been car break-ins all over The Island so be careful, and don’t forget to put your garage door down, unless you want to get rid of some of the junk in there in which case a garage sale might be in order. That’s all for now. Say hello if you see us Around The Island.
Live Music A16
Photo by Steve Coons
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Schlittergone!
Around The Island By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com There's just something about being an Island fire hydrant. For the second time in recent weeks a driver took out a fire hydrant which unleased a watery torrent resulting in the collapse of an Island street.
Rhonda Rousey A11
By Dale Rankin
City Says Finish the Tower or Tear it Down
Tuesday morning, Schlitterbahn developer Jeff Henry was trying to solve a problem he never thought he would have. How to tear down the 138-foot tall tower that rises above the main building at the park. “I think I can take it down in three or four pieces,” he said. “It’s too heavy to take down all at once.” The question of what to do about the tower has kept the phone lines hot between City Hall and The Island for several days as a deadline for completing construction of the park’s main building approaches at the end of September. At stake is $117 million in city tax incentives which could dissolve if the city determines that failure to finish the tower by that deadline constitutes a breach of the 380 Agreement between the park’s developers and the City of Corpus Christi. Under that agreement, only $5 million is in hard currency, the rest comes in the form of Hotel/Motel Tax and City Sales Tax which the park’s owners keep once the park is up and running. So far the park’s developers have received only $2.5 million of the $5 million in the form of funds from the Type A Board, an economic development board which receives money from city sales tax to spur new business, the city will not release any of the sales tax money generated by the park until the conditions of the agreement are met. The city, as of this writing on Wednesday, has refused to release the remaining $2.5 million and, if the tower is, in the eyes of the city, not finished by the September 30 deadline, the remaining $111 million in incentives could be in jeopardy. When the original deadlines included in the 380 Agreement were extended late last year completion of the exterior of the park’s main building was a condition for release of the funds. In the meantime, Henry has concentrated on finishing the park and the building’s exterior, with the skeleton of the iconic tower remaining without its outer covering. So with the deadline approaching and the city insisting that the tower be finished before the deadline, with $109 million in the remaining tax incentives hanging fire, the safe way through for the park’s developers; tear down the tower. When the Island Moon went to press Wednesday afternoon the phone lines were still buzzing, at City Hall and in the park offices the contract was being read and re-read. Discussions between the city and developers are contnuing
Seashore Middle Academy Soars Academically 2015 TEA Ratings Place SMA as a Top Middle School By Brent Rourk
Present
Future?
A little Island history
A First-Hand Account of the Texas Revolution Massacre in Refugio
Editor’s note: In 1836 Herman Ehrenberg immigrated to Texas from his native Germany to fight for Texas’ independence from Mexico. He fought at many of the early battles of Texas’ War for Independence and was one of the few to escape the massacre of Texian troops at Goliad by the Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Fortunately for us Mr. Ehrenberg was a literate man who kept a full diary of his experiences in the struggle. But his journal was lost to history for 100 years until 1936 when “an ancient German manuscript was found by instructors at the University of Texas” but the language was old German that was not understood by any of the professors at the University. As fate would have it a student from Refugio was working on his Master’s Degree at the time and he recognized the language as the old German dialect that his mother had taught him as a child
Seashore Middle Academy (SMA) received its 2015 Texas Accountability Summary recently and the school received a 6 Star Designation. SMA's success in 2015 confirms what Islanders know - that as a ‘College Prep’ middle school SMA offers rigorous academic programming and ample support for student success. Earning Distinction in Reading/ ELA, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Top 25% Student Progress, and Top 25% Closing Performance
Seashore continued on A3
Map of battles of the Texas Revolution
Monument to King and his soldiers and he translated the 100 year-old story to English and wrote it down in two versions; one is still on file at the University of Texas Library, the other was a red-bound folder which was passed down through his family. In June, 1975, as part of the 140 anniversary of the original events the Refugio Timely Remarks newspaper printed Herman’s firsthand account of the Texas War for Independence. It is from that newspaper, with many thanks to Islander Blackie Pitzer who brought it to us, that this account is taken. Some of the grammar is clunky; but hey, is almost 180 years old…and so it goes. Our story begins on March 10, 1836, four days after the fall of the Alamo,
as the Mexican Army lays siege to the town of Refugio… By Herman Ehrenberg Soldier for Texas A few days before, Captain (Amon Butler) King’s company, which was composed of 31 men who had been ordered down to Refugio to protect several families there who had requested Fannin’s aid, against the Indians on their way to Goliad and the Colonies. But these soon sent work that they were enclosed in the Church by at last 150 Mexicans and Indians and requested immediate help. The Georgie Battalion was
History continued on A6
A2
Damaged Fire Hydrant Eats a Street
August 13, 2015
Island Moon
For the second time this summer an errant driver crashed into an Island fire hydrant unleashing a torrent of water which undermined the street and caused a huge sinkhole. The latest street washout was Sunday evening at the corner of Aquarius and Lanyard when a driver running southbound on Aquarius tried to turn left on Lanyard when he took the turn wide and smashed into the hydrant, breaking it off at the point where it connected to the waterline about six feet below the surface. The rushing water blew the sand out from under the roadbed and the road collapsed. The crash was caught on a surveillance camera in the corner house and shows the driver continuing to drive down Lanyard with a damaged vehicle. Witnesses said the driver was examining the damaged vehicle several blocks away when police arrived.
Austin and Kate from San Antonio Brought their two boys to the beach. Photo by Jeff Craft
Residents along that stretch of Aquarius report drivers use the quarter-mile stretch of the street between the two speed tables as an opportunity to hit the gas. Several weeks ago another driver swept wide through the same intersection where the fire hydrant was hit and clipped the fence. A similar incident occurred near the CruiserWhitecap intersection in June when a driver hit the fire hydrant there and caused a similar washout and sinkhole which closed the eastbound lane.
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August 13, 2015
Island Moon
Letters to the Editor
Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder
FBFD
Padre Island Teen
I had to laugh when I read Katy and Weston Besedas letter to the editor. Misunderstanding Mr. & Mrs. Beseda. Learn to read and do your math.
This summer I didn't go to camp or on some crazy tropical vacation like the rest of my family… instead, I went around the state of Texas and toured some of the colleges here. In the past weeks I've been to the University of Texas, A&M College Station and Corpus Christi, Trinity University, and Sam Houston State. Freshman year is a bit young to start looking at colleges, but this will allow more time to broaden the search. It's turned into a sort of family affair, with everyone wanting me at their alma mater.
By Elizabeth Clark
Moon,
TAXPAYERS don't be fooled . Her husband works for the Flour Bluff VOLUNTEER fire department. Distribution
This is only duplicating services. If they want raises tell them to go out and raise the money and leave the TAXPAYERS out of it.
Pete Alsop Island Delivery
This needs to go back to what it was. A VOLUNTEER fire department.
Coldwell Banker Advertising
VOTE NO!! Let's put our money in the Corpus Christ city services.
Jan Park Rankin Classifieds Arlene Ritley Production Manager Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah
I think the Flour Bluff VOLUNTEER fire department has some ethics issues and a full audit should be done and reported to the TAXPAYERS. See how far that goes. D Fleming Editor’s note: As of this writing the Nueces County Emergency Services District #2 has decided to take the issue of a tax hike off of the November 3 ballot. If that changes we will let you know.
Andy Purvis Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner
Flour Bluff Reunion
Todd Hunter
2015 "Return to the Beach reunion," a multi class reunion for anyone that went to Flour Bluff High School from 1970 thru 1979. It will be held at the Brisco Pavillion on Septemebr 12th,2015 from 10am to 11pm. We will have a meet and greet on Friday at Bartons Street Pub in Flour Bluff starting at 7 pm. This is going to be an awesome get together with food fun music and the beach for more info contact Lenora Gohlke , 361-960-5981.
Dotson Lewis Ronnie Narmour Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Ronnie Narmour
Thank you again, Lenora Gohlke
Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus)
Trashy Situation At Packery Channel
Riley P. Dog
My lady friend and I frequent Packery Channel at least twice a week. My friend, a resident of Germany, always spends a minimum of 45 minutes cleaning up the general area prior to fishing placing all the garbage in those yellow garbage bags available to the beach area.
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
Apparently the Europeans are more concerned about the environment then us here in Corpus Christi. It never fails that in our next trip to Packery litter is once again scattered throughout this delicate Eco- System. In defense ,of local frequent users, they do make and effort to pick up after themselves when we leave those yellow trash bags tied to those post designated to keep cars from getting to close to the water's edge. The problem is that no agency wants to take responsibility for collecting the piles of trash that accumulates over time. We are doing our part and would welcome some agency to step up and do there’s by collecting this trashy and putrid eyesore. PLEASE HELP US KEEP PACKERY CLEAN BY CONTACTING THE APPROPRIATE AGENCY TO DO THEIR PART !!!!
Every single place I've visited is unique in its own way and the people I've met have been so kind. I'd recommend any of them to FB high schoolers looking for a good education. When looking at universities, it's hard not to bias against high prices or large campuses, but those qualities only provide other advantages. As I continue my search for a university to attend I can’t help but wonder where I will end up and which path my career will take... hopefully I can get through high school first! If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, email me at PadreIslandTeen@ gmail.com.
Padre Island Real Estate Activity July 16- 31 Cindy Molnar Coldwell Banker Island Realtors
Waterfront Homes Sold 13545 Carlos Fifth 15258 Main Royal 15338 Mutiny 13549 Camino De Plata 15345 Beaufort 15034 Tesoro 13705 Eaglesnest Bay 15393 Tortuga 16029 Cuttysark Average Sales Price $428,522 104 Waterfront Homes Listed From $295,000-$1,500,000
Interior Homes Sold 16122 Jessamine 15418 Dyna
Trashed Out at Packery,
15741 Dyna
Ursula & Ruben
15957 El Soccorro Loop 13849 Hawksnest Bay 14218 Cabo Blanco
Where to Find The Island Moon Port Aransas Lisabella’s Restaurant Pioneer RV Park
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)
14514 Cabana East #203 14810 Windward #201 15425 Fortuna Bay #212 14300 Aloha #220 15401 Gun Cay #503 Average Selling Price $169,650 52 Waterfront Condominium/ Townhomes Listed $69,900-$539,500
Discover the benefits of Alkaline Water
Holiday Inn Jesse’s Liquor
Public Library Chamber of Commerce
Island Tire
Duckworth Antiques
And all Moon retail advertisers
Back Porch
WB Liquor
Subway
Shorty’s Place
Flour Bluff
Giggity’s
H.E.B.
Stripes @ Cotter & Station
Liquid Town
The Gaff
14300 S. Padre Island Dr. #179
Island Italian
Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant
Port A Glass Studio
Waterfront Condominiums/ Townhomes Sold
North Padre
A Mano
Keepers Pier House
48 Interior Lot Homes Listed From $179,000-$449,900
Port A Arts
CVS
Gratitude Gift Shop
Average Selling Price $237,612
WB Liquors
All Stripes Stores
Woody’s Sports Center
14960 Dasmarinas
Sandpiper Condos
Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A
Port A Parks and Rec
15933 Cozumel
Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID
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Interior Condominiums/ Townhomes Sold 15322 Seamount Cay #104 15005 Windward Drive #214 13969 Ports O Call 15216 Windward Average Selling Price $175,025 121 Interior Condominiums/ Townhomes listed $88,000-$385,000
Waterfront Lots Sold Lot 25 Cayo Gorda 61 Waterfront Lots Listed $129,900$6,000,000
Interior Lots Sold Lot 5 Jibstay Lot 16 Ketch Lot 23 Coquina Bay Lot 41 Finistere Lot 29 Punta Espada Loop Lot 14 Canadian Mist Average Selling Price $44,375 119 Interior Lots Listed $39,000$125,000
Commercial Lots 18 Lots Listed $29,900-$4,557,465
Did Ya Hear?
A3
by Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com or @padreeyelander on twitter
New Advertisers Raggdoll Boutique is hosting the Padre Island Business Mixer Tuesday, August 18th 5:30 – 7:30 pm. There will be food, drinks and drawings throughout the evening. Look for the 15% off coupon in this issue’s ad. They have unique clothing, accessories and shoes. They are located next to Lyco’s 2 Nails. 2 Island Girls Cleaning serves North Padre and Port Aransas. Call Donna Swaim or Sandra Gregory at 867-1544 for their premier service cleaning.
Business Briefs The 9th Annual Knights of Columbus Golf Tournament will be held at Oso Beach Golf Course on Friday, September 18th. They are looking for Silver, Gold or Diamond sponsors. The tournament is open to the public and the cost is $100/person and includes dinner buffet on the patio. The shotgun start is at 1 pm. Call Bo Rimar at 210-379-2705 or email arimarjr@stx.rr.com for more info. The Padre Balli Ground Breaking is set for Thursday, August 13th at 1:30 pm at the park entrance. Padre Balli Park will be getting a two million dollar enhancement. Walk Padre Island for Children is an awareness fund raising event to benefit Prevent Child Abuse Texas. Individuals or families can participate in a 5K walk at Bob Hall Pier on Saturday, September 26th at 9 am. Registration fee is $25 for age 12 and older and $10 under 12. You can get the registration form at walks@ preventchildabusetexas.org. The 5th Annual Bluewater Kayak Classic will be held Saturday, August 15th. This fishing tournament had 144 participants last year. The registration fee is $50 and late registration is $60. Cinnamon Shore on Highway 361 was awarded the prestigious Coastal Living 2015 Showhouse and the public is invited to tour the stately three story home. Tours of the home begin Thursday, August 13th and run through Sunday, November 29th. Tickets are $15 and a portion of those proceeds will go to Port A charities. Island in the Son United Methodist Church is seeking vendors for their “Fabulous Fall” Arts and Crafts Sale to be held on Saturday, September 26th. To participate go to their website and click on “Vendor link” at the top of the page. Deadline for registration is September 14th. A Multi-Family Garage Sale in the Bluff will be held Saturday, August 15th 9 am – 4 pm at 226 Whitely Drive. Discover the Dinosaurs will be held at the American Bank Center this weekend August 14 – 16. Tickets are $18 for age 13 and older and $16 for ages 2 – 12. Michelle’s Salon is an elegant full service hair salon for men and women. They also do airbrush make-up, xtreme eyelash extensions and feather extensions. Surfside Sandwich Shoppe has great generous sandwiches and also homemade soups and desserts in an “Austin 6th Street” kind of atmosphere. Enjoy happy hour 3-7 pm inside or out on the patio. The opening of the Costco store inside the 600,000 square foot retail development being built at Rodd Field Road and SPID could take up to two years.
Seashore continued from A1 Gaps, SMA met standard on the accountability rating. SMA Director Barbara Beeler stated, "We have high standards for our students and clearly they have lived up to those expectations." SMA met all 13 out of 13 indicators and in the Student Achievement Index they attained a 95%, blasting through the State Target Score of 60 percent. SMA Mathematics Teacher Aaron Cardon claimed, "We are all working hard for our students here at Seashore. The kids are obviously doing their part too. We're very proud!" Language Arts and Journalism Teacher Shannon Trial commented, "Earning all six possible distinctions just confirms what we at SMA already know, that our strenuous academic program breeds greater success rates. As a college prep school, we look way beyond standardized tests to prepare students for higher education. Our curriculum, learning environment, and entire school community make SMA something special." SMA is beginning its 9th year and in the previous 8 years, the Island Middle School has attained top state scores. Beeler added, “During our 8 years we have always scored the highest state ratings." School scores like these are no accident and it takes the entire ‘Island Village’ to help students succeed; the Seashore Learning Center and its staff, the staff at SMA, the parents and business community, and students who put forth tremendous effort. See http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/ account/2015/static/summary/campus/ c178808041.pdf for the whole report.
Send letters and photos to editor@islandmoon.com Or visit us on Facebook at The Island Moon Newspaper
A4
August 13, 2015
Island Moon
Greece in a Nutshell
Castle in the Sand
Meteora, Olympia, the Acropolis, and the Islands
The Naizer family comes to The Island once a year to build a sandcastle to remember. This year they came from Austin, Cedar Park, Tomball, and Morocco to spend fifteen hours building this castle.
Delphi
They say the secret is patience and more patience, but when it’s done it houses family memories that outlive it.
By Brent Rourk A recent two week trip to Greece, covering the mainland and a few islands, revealed much about its history; the kind of history that we were taught in middle school, high school, and even college. There were ruins and famous places where the Greek Gods and rulers once roamed; all highlighted in travel brochures. The islands, surrounded by shades of tropical blues and greens, were beautiful, relaxing, and crowded. There are numerous places in Greece worthy of a visit, in addition to the old man with the Gaida, and many places that should be on your ‘Must See’ list.
Now is an Excellent Time to Visit Greece For those hoping to visit Greece, now is the time as the monetary exchange is excellent and there are economic and cost effective travel deals to be had in a country that is safe though in economic distress. You should include the following places on your list; Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora, and the Island of Mykonos and Santorini (Crete too if you have time).
From Olympia the next stop should be Delphi, perched high in the mountains of Greece. Fabulous ruins and a decent museum make the trip worth your while. Perhaps you will encounter the Oracle for some great advice. I enjoyed the bus trip from Olympia to Delphi running along the sea. Fishing farms dotted the seascape and small towns appeared out of nowhere, offering intimate hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and shopping.
Meteora From Delphi the next stop should be Meteora (meaning ‘suspended in air’ in Greek) with a night or two stay over in Kalambaka. Meteora is one of the most spectacular sights in the world and is guaranteed to leave the visitor awestruck. While in India two years ago a fellow traveler raved about Meteora, claiming it to be the most incredible site in Greece and one of the most inspiring sites in the world. It is simply amazing. Traveling through the Thessian Valley in Northern Greece the traveler quickly reaches an area where incredibly tall rock spires jut out of the valley floor. The constant carving of the ancient rivers created a deep valley, however, the rock spires remained. The spires became home to monks who built charming monasteries on top of the spires.
Today six of the original 24 monasteries proudly perch on top of different rock formations. They have survived over 1,000 One of the largest monasteries at Meteora years, and looking to survive many more they have become photos by Brent Rourk. UNESCO sites (see http://whc. unesco.org/ for more information about UNESCO.)
Researching Options
Researching travel options is wise as there are many group trips that can meet your needs but some are clearly better than others, offering better prices and preferred destinations. As well there is the question as to how you want to visit the Islands. Some tours incorporate a cruise and for those who love cruising this option might work. But a cruising option to the Islands givers people very little time to experience each Island, instead waiting in lines to get off of the ship, take an excursion, get tickets, and get back on the ship – all within a day or half of a day. I recommend staying at least three days on each of the islands so that you can explore at your leisure, rent a bike or 4 wheel vehicle to get around, and enjoy also some down time. I would also recommend going to the Greek Islands after you complete a tour of mainland Greece.
The Islands Arguably, the benefit of traveling to the Greek Island after visiting the mainland is that the weary land traveler can enjoy down time, beach time and a more relaxing environment before flying back to the States. Island life offers some
Several tour companies like Gate1 Tours, GoAhead Tours, G Adventures, and others offer a variety of tours designed to meet a variety of budgets and travel options. Tour companies offer better deals to couples who will share a room (and avoid the nasty single supplement fee that sometimes runs from $600 to $1000.) It is possible to arrange your own flights, hotels, and travel within Greece too, requiring a lot more research, online time and phone calls. There are countless details that tour companies take care of yet traveling on your own offers some freedoms to craft an individualized agenda. By determining first what you wish to see in Greece, you can begin to eliminate tour options and focus in on tours that meet your needs. If you are an island person then focus more on several Greek Islands that offer just about anything a traveler might want. If you enjoy romping Greek ruins, there are tours that will meet your needs. It is important to determine what Greece offers and what you want to see.
Athens Athens surprisingly offers little in the way of attractions, besides the iconic Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, and the Olympic Stadium. Other than that the rest of ancient Athens has either been destroyed or is buried under square miles of 4 story apartment buildings. There are a few nice hotels and restaurants, but otherwise the genuine flavor of Greece lies outside of Athens. With six million people, noise, and air pollution Athens is to be quickly enjoyed and left behind, but do not miss the often crowded but richly historic Acropolis. Night views of the Acropolis from the top of nearby hotels are indescribably beautiful, especially during sunrise or sunset.
Olympia – Jewel of Western Greece Olympia is a beautiful area of Greece, home to many wineries, olive orchards, the sea, and a wonderful climate. It is a place to enjoy and to relax, especially after visiting the ancient ruins at Olympia, home of the first Olympic Games. Tourists can enjoy hearty Greek meals in affordable and family run restaurants; Greek Salads, Moussaka, Gyros, Stuffed Squid (my favorite), Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), various yogurt dips, Souvlaki (grilled meats), olives, baklava, and fresh fish. To fully explore Greek culture it is necessary to be adventurous and try a variety of Greek fare.
The ancient ruins on Delos are impressive and there is much more to discover different charming allures as well as beach life, night life for the young and energetic, and shopping. It is on the islands where the white washed buildings with blue roofs radiate their iconic beauty just like the magazines and travel brochures. Mykonos and Santorini offer fine beaches and beautiful small towns along with fine shopping and fabulous restaurants; the kind that will make you say, ‘I had the best Moussaka (or Greek Salad or Gyros) in the Greek Islands. Walking down narrow paths between shops, restaurants and residences the visitors’ senses are overloaded with start white vs deep blue colors, scents of fine Greek foods teasing the olfactory nerves, and bustling sounds of commerce in a little lane punctuated by a lone strolling musician. Motorcycles and 4 wheel ATVs are the recommended transport of choice on the islands permitting easy and quick travel throughout hilly islands. The islands are a photographer’s dream offering classic shots of beaches, small churches, windmills and monasteries, and the famous white buildings. I would recommend a day trip to the ancient island of Delos for fine ruins, a mild boat ride, and pristine waters. I completely enjoyed Greece and the small band of travelers in my group tour. An affordable destination, Greece revealed much of its history and many of its secrets to me, especially with my knowledgeable guide. I had a healthy balance of ‘touring in the bus’ versus down or personal time. There were several days where we rushed to get to a site to examine ruins and then headed out in the bus again to another destination, but once on the islands we were able to relax more, to enjoy the beaches and pools, and to explore restaurant choices and shopping on our own.
A monastery perched on top of a rock spire at Meteora
Again, the value of the Euro has plummeted enough to make travel to Greece more affordable. The travel season there runs from April through October with many businesses and areas closing during the late fall and winter. It is best to find a warm time when there are fewer tourists so the early spring and late fall are ideal times. Enjoy your trip to Greece.
August 13, 2015
Stuff I Heard on the Island
by Dale Rankin Last week we told you about a plan by the Nueces County Emergency Services District #2 – formerly known as the Flour Bluff Fire Department – to raise taxes by three times the current rate to build and staff a new fire station on The Island. Because of the hefty tax hike it would have had to go before voters for approval but now it doesn‘t look like that’s going to happen. The board of directors voted to remove the item from the November ballot. However, District officials said recently they will expand, in one way or another, to The Island in the next few years. The move toward expansion onto The Island began with a simple plan to build a small station to house brush fighting trucks to fight Island brush fires. But somehow over the course of a few months it morphed into a $2.2 million firehouse and came with a big tax increase.
The district covers both The Island and Flour Bluff and is paid for by property taxes. It is a remnant of the Flour Bluff Volunteer Fire Department which existed before Flour Bluff was annexed into the City of Corpus Christi. The current fire station is eleven miles from the Whitecap/SPID intersection. Last year the department made 56 calls on a budget of $883,211 - $15,771 per call. With the tax hike and the new station the budget would be $2.9 million, so if the number of calls doubled the cost per call would go to $25,892. That’s a lot. We congratulate the District’s board for thinking of The Island, we appreciate the thought, but let’s see if we can’t come up with another way to get there; a way without a tax increase.
Meanwhile at City Hall… Meanwhile over at City Hall the Council increased taxes by a cool $6.1 million or so by adopting the same tax rate as last year while property values across the city went up by 7.98%. The city budget for Fiscal Year 2016 will be $840,627,505. As I watched the council meeting where the budget was discussed what disturbed me the most was a statement by City Manager Ron Olson that said, “The city policy is to adopt the current rate each year.” That’s the first time I had heard that was the “policy” and if that “policy” is followed it will mean that, with the current upward trend in valuations, city taxes will increase by 7% each year; or by 70% each decade. When President Dwight David Eisenhower coined the phrase Military/Industrial Complex in 1960 he could Certified Net Taxable Values have been describing a much larger version of what has developed here in Corpus Christi as Entity C03
CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI
GNU
NUECES COUNTY
SJ C03 GNU SJ
FLOUR BLUFF ISD Entity CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI NUECES COUNTY FLOUR BLUFF ISD
C03 GNU SJ C03
News from your POA
a City Hall/Appraisal District Complex. Here’s how it worked this year.
By Maybeth Christensen
It makes sense it you say it real fast
Four Island residents have provided background information for the vacancy on the Padre Isles Property Owners Association Board. Following the Policy previously adopted by the Board in 2002, which has been followed in subsequent vacancies, Board members will interview the candidates and make a final recommendation to the full Board of Directors for appointment.
The criteria and definition that state law uses to define a tax increase is called the Effective Tax Rate. To calculate it you take the value of taxable property, strip out bonded indebtedness (including Certificates of Obligation), and strip out new construction from the past year (the sensible theory is that new construction requires additional city services and therefore requires additional tax revenue) and calculate what rate to tax the remaining property in order to raise the same amount of tax revenue as in the previous year. That number is the Effective Tax Rate and the reason it was created by lawmakers is to keep folks like Mr. Olson and this council from doing exactly what they did Tuesday and for the past three years which is trying to blur the lines between the Tax Rate and the Effective Tax Rate in order to pass a tax increase without admitting it. When Mr. Olson first became City Manager his budgets contained an Executive Summary which listed changes (read increases) in the Effective Tax Rate. They don’t anymore. Instead, New Construction numbers are lumped in with everything else and to get the Effective Tax Rate you must back them out yourself. What this tells me is that Mr. Olson understands that when he recommends the raising of taxes by giving his council the political way out by as he put it Tuesday, “Living within our means.” Bull.
The resumes were longer, but I believe I have highlighted some of the key points. The candidates are: Nicholas J. Colosi, MD, resident of the Island for the past 8 years. He is a retired Opthalmologist. He has held several board positions in a variety of organizations here as well as in St. Louis. He is retired and wishes to become active to improve Island life. Carter Tate, resident of the Island for 4 years. He is a real estate broker and is currently on the Nueces County Appraisal Review Board and the Island Strategic Action Committee. He has also held several board positions for various organizations. He states he is “agenda-less” yet passionate about reasonable, thoughtful, environmentally friendly development on the Island. If appointed to the Board he will aggressively pursue the implementation of its existing Articles of Incorporation and its ByLaws as designed and written.
Increasing taxes by 7% is not living within your means; it is living within your means plus 7%.
Value
W illiam a. T hau iii, P.C. “F ormer U.S. N avy L awyer ”
7.98%
$25,198,659,632 7.42% % Diff 2014 Certified from $2,667,947,637 2015 Certified $2,836,463,467 6.32% Net Taxable Net Taxable 2014 to Value Value 2015 $23,457,958,605
$17,045,414,630 $23,457,958,605 $2,667,947,637
$18,405,761,524 $25,198,659,632 $2,836,463,467
7.98% 7.42% 6.32%
Certified Market Values Entity CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI NUECES COUNTY
2014 Certified Market Value $22,478,193,627 $31,887,031,407
2015 Certified Market Value $23,967,596,305 $33,875,864,077
FLOUR BLUFF ISD Entity CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI
from $3,322,046,509 $3,549,786,444 6.86% 2014 Certified 2015 Certified 2014 to Market Value Market Value 2015 $22,478,193,627 $23,967,596,305 6.63%
GNU
NUECES COUNTY
$31,887,031,407
$33,875,864,077
SJ
FLOUR BLUFF ISD
$3,322,046,509
$3,549,786,444
Certified Net Taxable Values
Certified Market Values
% Diff from 2014 to 2015 6.63% 6.24% % Diff
Island By the Numbers
City Tax Rates Per $100,000 of Property Value
J.R. Miller, resident of the Island for the past 13 years. He is retired from the US Air Force and currently works at NAS Corpus Christi with the Chief of Naval Air Training. He and his wife have two boys who attended the Seashore Charter Schools. They have been active volunteers with him coaching various athletic teams. He says, “it was a great experience representing the Island while competing with inner city leagues.” Now that his kids are grown up, he would like to have the opportunity to continue to represent the Island and help it to continue to move forward.
~ Membership Drive Luncheon ~ Padre Island Enrichment Club, Inc. Invites you to come join us for lunch and Bingo On Friday August 14th 2015 at 11:30 am Holiday Inn Oceanside - 15202 Windward Drive Cost $ 15.00 incl lunch and bingo w/Great prizes Come find out what PIE is all about Reservations at PIELuncheon@aol.com Or for more info: Call Katherine @ 960-0327
2015
$18,405,761,524
After retiring from the military, he worked for the City of Corpus Christi as the Director and administrator of the Department of Justice Weed and Seed Grant Program. He and his wife JoAnn serve on the Texas Youth Commission Board for the York House and have been active in organizing the Annual Padre Island Art Walk, the Cuttysark Street Festival in October and have volunteered for several projects for the POA. He wants to use his organizational and leadership skills to continue to improve our Island.
BINGO - BINGO - BINGO
Olson and other council members dismiss this with the oldest and lamest of excuses – as he puts it, “you can argue about which rate to use.” No you can’t. You can raise taxes and claim you didn’t but that doesn’t mean it’s true. Read % Diff the state 2014 Certified law. It means that with your policy 2015 Certified from you will raise city taxes byNet Taxable 70% in the next2014 to decade. Net Taxable $17,045,414,630
Harold (Butch) Smith (Ret CSM), resident of the Island for the past 15 years.
LADIES
What is particularly galling is how the before-mentioned City Hall/Appraisal District Complex thinks no one can see what they are doing. State law says that if taxes are raised by more 8% or more citizens have the right through a petition to force a tax rollback. So if citywide property values rise by just under 8% - hence this year’s coincidental 7.98% jump in values – and if the city council follows Mr. Olson’s “policy” and keeps the same rate of tax on each $100 of value – presto! – a 7% jump in revenue while still “living within our means” because the Tax Rate didn’t go up – but the Effective Tax Rate did and so did revenue, by the same 7-plus%. Each year Mr. Olson’s nose gets a little bit longer.
Value If you last that long.
A5
Island Moon
l Divorce and Separation l Child Custody and Support l Adoption/Guardianship
l Auto Accidents l Personal Injury l DWI
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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
6.24%
6.86%
$550 City of Corpus Christi $280 Port Aransas $250 South Padre Island $30 Nueces County Emergency Services District #2 (current) $100 Nueces County Emergency Services District #2 (if tax hike approved)
Gross Hotel Revenue 2014 $185 million City of Corpus Christi $43 million Padre and Mustang Islands $38 million Downtown Corpus Christi $42 million SPID Corridor $65 million Port Aransas $150 million South Padre Island $155 million Galveston $250 million Port Aransas and Corpus Christi $10 million North Beach Corpus Christi
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PortA
A6
August 13, 2015
Island Moon
History continued from A1 therefore dispatched; but just as they arrived at Refugio, King was marching over the little Mission River to follow the enemy who had slyly fled. Ward also who had heard of a little fort that was said to have been erected by the Mexicans about five miles from Refugio, departed the next morning to the designated region to destroy the same. But as he found nothing of importance, he returned to the Mission. But barely had he entered the old Church, when about 600 cavalry of the enemy and a long twelvepounder (cannon) appeared on the opposite bank of the little river and began to bombard the church. Toward four o’clock in the afternoon they received several hundred more reinforcement which, like the Cavalry, had come from San Patricio. The Church was now completely surrounded, and several efforts were made to take it,, which were bravely repulsed. But the Mexicans remained in possession of the low houses of the settlers that stood in moderate distance and did some damage from there which caused the besieged ones to make several sorties, and soon the building that were so dangerous to the Texans were enveloped in destroying flames. During the whole night the Mexicans kept up a vigorous fire, but barely had the midnight hour passed when the Georgia Battalion marched unnoticed thru the enemy lines. It did not return to Goliad, but toward the seacoast, where they were lost in the board prairie. The morning revealed to the enemy that they had shot away their powder all night, for nothing. They were on the point of leaving for Goliad to storm this fort, when the unfortunate King and his company appeared on the opposite bank of the river. As he noticed the enemy, and was at the same time seen by them, he took a favorable position in a little dense forest and defended himself with incomparable gallantry against the Mexicans and Indians who pressed on him from all sides. Even to this day one hears them speak of King and the men with horror. In vain General Urrea offered them honorable capitulation. Until now however, surrender was out of the question, and the departing day left the gallant defenders was victors: but as darkness set in the little troop slipped out thru the tall grass, and past the enemy posts. They believed themselves to be safe, when a hellish warwhoop of the Caranchua broke the stillness of the night. In a few moments hundreds of Mexicans surrounded them, and further fighting would have ended with the destruction of them all, although King was ready to fight to the last drop. But the repeated assurances from the officers present that they would be treated respectfully finally caused them to surrender. On the next morning, however, their bloody corpses lay about on the high banks of the Rio Blanco. (Mission River) Mexican bullets had murdered them, and the butt ends of the muskets of the soldiers had horribly smashed the skulls of any quivering bodies so that the brains spattered about. Only two Germans of King’s company were saved, by a German also, a Prussian, who was an officer in the enemy artillery. His name is Holzinger, and his name will be mentioned again later.
Alice in Wonderland Jr a Hit! One Week Left – A Must See
A golf lesion from Harvey Penick
The Most Important Lesson Take Dead Aim
Turtle Nest Update Kemp's Ridley Turtle So far this year, 159 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):
Editor’s note: This is the latest weekly golf lesion from Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book, Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf. Penick began caddying at Austin Country Club when was eight years old and was the teacher to many professional golfers.
5 Bolivar Peninsula 3 Galveston Island 1 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 1 Surfside Beach 1 Quintana Beach 2 Bryan Beach
By Harvey Penick
0 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach
When my student Betsy Rawls was in a playoff for the U.S. Women’s Open Championship, I sent her a one-sentence telegram.
0 Sargent Beach 3 Matagorda Peninsula 0 Matagorda Island
It said, “Take dead aim.”
0 San Jose Island
For golfers who might not understand Texas talk, let me put the advice in the telegram a different way: Once you address the gold ball, hitting it has got to be the most important thing in your life at that moment. Shutout all thoughts other than picking out a target and taking dead aim at it.
3 Mustang Island 106 North Padre Island, including 101 at Padre Island National Seashore 34 South Padre Island
That is a good way to calm a case of nerves.
0 Boca Chica Beach
Everybody gets nervous on the first tee, whether it’s Betsy Rawls in a playoff for the Open or a high handicapper teeing off at the club in a $2 Nassau with pals.
Green Sea Turtle So far this year, 4 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):
Instead of worrying about making a fool of yourself in front of a crowd of 4 or 40,000, forget about how you swing may look and concentrate instead on where you want the ball to go. Pretty is as pretty does.
4 North Padre Island, including 3 at Padre Island National Seashore
Loggerhead Turtle
I would approach my college players before a match and tell them the same thing: Take dead aim.
So far this year, 7 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):
This is a wonderful thought to keep in mind all the way around the course, not just on the first tee. Take dead aim at a spot on the fairway or the green, refuse to allow any negative thought to enter your head, and swing away.
1 San Jose Island 4 North Padre Island, including 4 at Padre Island National Seashore
A high handicapper will be surprised at how often the mind will make the muscles hit the ball to the target, even with a far less than perfect swing.
2 South Padre Island
The expert player won’t be surprised. The expert expects to hit the target. The only surprise here is that the expert sometimes allows disorganized thinking to make him or her become distracted from the primary object of the shot, which is to hit the target. I can’t say it too many times. It’s the most important advice in this book. Take dead aim. Make it a point to do it every time on every shot. Don’t just do it from time to time, when you happen to remember. Take dead aim.
Send Letters to the editor to editor@ islandmoon.com By Brent Rourk
Pet of the Week
With two young directors making their debut at the Port Aransas Community Theatre (PACT), some might have wondered how an iconic play would turn out. By all accounts, the play is a huge hit and drawing capacity audiences.
The sticks at the northern end of PINS are out of the water these days.
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Alice in Wonderland Jr. is entertaining crowds with its quick action, colorful and cute costumes, choreography, and music. Adults and children alike are raving about how well the cast has performed. Together the large cast of child actors and the two new directors have worked diligently to create a production that is second to none. There is one more weekend of performances left and tickets are going fast. This is a play that children will love to see and will remember for a long time. They will no doubt identify with a favorite play character and hum some of the music long after the play is over. This week’s performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 and a Sunday Matinee starting at 2:30 PM. Call PACT at (361) 749-6036 for tickets or go to 2327 TX-361, Port Aransas, TX 78373. You can also get tickets by going to http:// fr.brownpapertickets.com/producer/17554. The fabulous musical ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ will follow Alice in Wonderland Jr, capping a productive and entertaining summer of offerings at PACT. This play has a very strong cast of talented, local actors that are bound to draw viewers into the action. Reserve tickets now for this play.
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August 13, 2015
A7
Island Moon
Backwater Adventures On the Rocks
Last Chance to Enjoy Summer By Joey Farah
Well, just when we thought the evil upwelling with the cold dirty water was training out of the nearshore system, it flared up again. Not only has it flared up around here, a peek at the water temps on rip charts shows that this latest band of upwelling is a good 15 miles wide and stretches all the way down south past Veracruz. It looks like the upwelling during the summer is the new norm. This is a bummer, because as I write this, the surf is completely flat right now. We should be enjoying some dog days out on the Gulf right now, but alas, the water isn’t cooperating this season.
Farah’s Fishing Adventures
The end of summer is upon us all and the sun is baking our brains. The sound of high school bands and football games are just around the corner. The same expectations we have for fall are on the minds of fish in the bays as well. The migration of shrimp out to the Gulf is closing down and at the same time we will see a switch in predatory gamefish's diet to baitfish. Small finger mullet, mud minnows, pin and piggy perch, and croakers, are all staple food sources for our trout, reds, and flounder. In the Upper Lagoon look to the places of water exchange to hold many flounder for local anglers. The sandy guys around the King Ranch and the Humble Channel as well as all along the Intracoastal canal are all full of flounder. The small baitfish is best and a light split shot weight to keep the bait along the bottom. Throwing soft plastics around all the docks and piers along the JFK is a good bet to hang a nice flounder as well. When using artificial go to your white and pumpkinseed/chartreuse first. The boat hole has also been hot for trout and flounder. All the small cuts and old oilfield channels are holding good numbers of trout and the reds fall into the deeper water on low tide. Offshore fishing has heated up to a boil! Local anglers should watch the weather for the signs of the gulf to go flat. If you go offshore make a effort to let someone know when and where you plan on going and coming back. Also it's the law to have flares on your boat as you pass the jetty mouth, just in case you have to signal some help. Just because the beach is flat does not mean it is flat offshore. Pay close attention around you.
By Jay Gardner
This is one of many big mature trout moving towards the cooler tidal waters of the Upper Laguna Madre' this month. This beautiful trout we caught on the King Ranch Shoreline on live piggy perch.
In the bays I have been catching limits of trout easily and then hunting for reds and flounder. This has worked well because the trout bite is quick at first light then tapers off when it warms up till late afternoon whites cranking wind. The next few months will find big redfish prowling the flats and anglers can hook some beasts drifting with gold spoons. If you need a boost in you fishing, book a charter or give me a call for some fresh ideas. I encourage you all to like and FOLLOW ALL OUR HOOKups ON FAVEBOOK AT JOEY FARAH's BACKWATER FISHING. TAKE CARE STAY COOL And GET WET!
Right: Afternoon limits of solid 20 inch trout have been the norm on live piggy perch.
research partner Dr. Jenny at the HRI regarding the oyster reef recruitment study that she’s been doing on some reefs we all help fund and create up in St. Charles Bay a few years back. The premise of the study was to put down a variety of materials (crushed concrete, porcelain, limestone, river rock, and oyster shell) and see which one grows oysters the best/fastest. Well, preliminary results indicate that all substrates grew oysters, and that the rate wasn’t significant enough between the different ones. While some glass-half-empty folks would look at results like this and say “well, that doesn’t tell you anything” I would beg to differ. “No difference” is a statistically viable and important answer when you’re using the scientific method.
Frio River Crew But I tell you what, the water at the Frio River this past weekend was gin clear! No upwelling up there, but temperatures were similar to the surf. Ha! We completed our annual trip to the Freshwater, and we managed to get out without anyone of us getting arrested, which I consider a success. The river was flowing fairly well thanks to the recent rains, and sections of the river that would have previously taken an hour and a half to float were taking on the order of 20 minutes. We completed several floats, rode the fun parts, and then pulled up on the side under the shade of the bald cypress trees to relax for a bit before the take outs. I think we had almost as much fun pulled on the side talking to people and making friends than we did down the rapids chutes. Christian and I took our fly rods and managed a few perch through the traffic, which is always fun. I had an incident on the last chute before the bridge at the split trees, but some nice folks downstream helped me recover all the items in my tube that turned into a yard sale. Thanks! Good times and we’ll see you all at the river soon. Just a little news on the “science” front; you all know that the CCA Habitat committee I chair has been involved in a lot of coastal restoration and reefing projects with our project partners. We just got an update from our friend and
What that REALLY tells us is this: that we can utilize whatever materials are the cheapest, and whatever materials that someone has on hand and still get great results. They also compared all substrates against bare bay bottom, and there was no comparison. The reefs had exponentially more organisms on them. Build it and they will come. No brainer there, but had to be tested. We look forward to using the lessons learned from the study to plan for the future of oyster restoration up and down the coast. Next up is something I’ve been excited about for a while; looking at design for low-relief reefs in nearshore locations to bolster age 0-1 red snapper populations even more. Good stuff on the way. School is so close to starting again I can almost taste it. We hit the laguna the other evening on a Tuesday, and we didn’t see a single boat. I mean not even one on the water. It was so extremely blissful that it didn’t even matter that all we caught was a handful of dink trout. It was just gorgeous being out there. Well folks, try to stay hydrated and cool out there with the temps. If you need a cooling off, go jump in the surf. The upwelling is continuing to dominate the surf zone for the foreseeable future. Drop me a line at jaygardner@scientist. com and I’ll see you on the rocks.
Moon Phases August 2015
Jamie Staggs pounded out a snapper limit this week at a inshore shrimp boat wreak. This is the time to be on stand bye for AWSOME offshore fishing
Tides of the Week Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) August 13 - 19, 2015
Flounder Party!
Flounder Party!
Day
High /Low
Tide Time
Height in Feet
Sunrise Moon Time Sunset
Moon Visible
Th F Sa Su M Tu W
13 13 13 13 14 14 14 14 15 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 19 19 19
High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High Low High
5:08 AM 10:41 AM 1:10 PM 9:24 PM 5:21 AM 11:01 AM 2:13 PM 10:00 PM 5:29 AM 11:22 AM 3:12 PM 10:33 PM 5:38 AM 11:42 AM 4:10 PM 11:03 PM 5:48 AM 12:02 PM 5:10 PM 11:31 PM 6:01 AM 12:25 PM 6:15 PM 11:58 PM 6:14 AM 12:53 PM 7:29 PM
1.5 1.1 1.2 -0.1 1.4 1.1 1.2 0.1 1.4 1.0 1.2 0.2 1.3 0.9 1.2 0.4 1.3 0.8 1.2 0.6 1.2 0.7 1.2 0.8 1.2 0.6 1.2
6:59 AM Rise 6:07 AM 8:09 PM Set 7:30 PM
3
6:59 AM Rise 7:00 AM 8:08 PM Set 8:08 PM
0
7:00 AM Rise 7:52 AM 8:07 PM Set 8:45 PM
0
7:00 AM Rise 8:43 AM 8:06 PM Set 9:19 PM
1
7:01 AM Rise 9:34 AM 8:05 PM Set 9:54 PM
4
7:01 AM Rise 10:24 AM 8:04 PM Set 10:28 PM
9
7:02 AM Rise 11:15 AM 8:03 PM Set 11:03 PM
15
A8
August 13, 2015
Island Moon
SPORTS Sports Talk
Texas High School Football Starts Soon
By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon
By Dotson Lewis
On April 10, 1953, Mickey Mantle hit a home run over the 100 foot high grandstand wall at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Up until that time, only two players had ever done that, Babe Ruth and Ted Beard; but the greatest accomplishment that day may have been just getting to Forbes Field in the first place.
Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s note: With the high school football season approaching, I have received many questions regarding the dangers of football and what is being done to prevent injuries. The two major governing bodies of interschool activities, in which football is included, are UIL (University Interscholastic League) & TAPS (Texas Association of Private Schools). For the most part TAPS has adopted the UIL football safety rules. The UIL makes the rules for all sports conducted by all public schools in Texas. This includes programs at the elementary, middle, junior high, 9th grade and high school levels. Many local high school teams have been practicing for two weeks or more. In fact, local high school scrimmages will start on August 14th. The following is information from the UIL regarding high school football injuries. It has been said that we only have two sports in Texas, “Spring & Fall Football.”
Warning about the Inherent Dangers of Athletic Participation| Student athletes and parents should be aware that any athletic participation will always have inherent dangers. Although rare, death or catastrophic injury can result from participation in sports, and care should be taken by all concerned to minimize such dangers through the use of appropriate equipment, proper training methods and common sense. The UIL encourages student athletes in all sports, and their parents, to discuss risks and risk minimization with coaches and schools.
When In Doubt, Sit Them Out! Introduction Concussions received by participants in sports activities are an ongoing concern at all levels. Recent interest and research in this area has prompted reevaluations of treatment and management recommendations from the high school to the professional level. Numerous state agencies throughout the U.S. responsible for developing guidelines addressing the management of concussion in high school student-athletes have developed or revised their guidelines for concussion management. Definition of Concussion There are numerous definitions of concussion available in medical literature as well as
Take Us to Pittsburgh
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.
Flour Bluff Head Football Coach charter school concussion oversight team. Each member of the concussion oversight team must have had training in the evaluation, treatment, and oversight of concussions at the time of appointment or approval as a member of the team. Responsible Individuals: At every activity under the jurisdiction of the UIL in which the activity involved carries a potential risk for concussion, there should be a designated individual who is responsible for identifying student-athletes with symptoms of concussion injuries. That individual should be a physician or an advanced practice nurse, athletic trainer, neuropsychologist, or physician assistant, with appropriate training in the recognition and management of concussion in athletes. In the event that such an individual is not available, a supervising adult approved by the school district with appropriate training in the recognition of the signs and symptoms of a concussion in athletes could serve in that capacity. When a licensed athletic trainer is available such an individual would be the appropriate designated person to assume this role. The individual responsible for determining the presence of the symptoms of a concussion is also responsible for creating the appropriate documentation related to the injury event.
in “guidelines” developed by the various state organizations. For the purpose of this discussion, the definition presented in Chapter 38, Sub Chapter D of the Texas Education Code is considered appropriate. It states that "Concussion" means a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain caused by a traumatic physical force or impact to the head or body, which may:
game,” and then Casey storms out. So Billy is hiding in the bathroom laughing and they go out to the field and batting practice is over. The first time Mantle comes to the plate he hits that long home run over the grandstand. “Nice hit Mickey,” says Casey. “Take the rest of the day off.” Martin is beside himself and ends up playing the entire game.
On April 9th, the Yankees were riding a train north playing exhibitions games. When they arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, it was bitterly cold but they played anyway and, after the game, Whitey Ford, Billy Martin, and Mickey Mantle headed out on the town to have some fun before catching the train to Pittsburgh. They had to be back at the train station by 10 PM to ride all night and get to Pittsburgh the next day for batting practice. At 9:30 PM, Mantle started looking for the other two. They finally all hooked up at 11 PM, too late to catch the train. Mantle says, “To hell with it, let’s stay and catch a plane tomorrow in the morning.” So they get up at dawn and it’s snowing. They get to the airport an hour later and all the fights have been cancelled. So Ford says, “No problem, let’s take a cab.” Ford and Martin piled in the backseat as Mantle slides into the front seat and says to the cab driver, “Take us to Pittsburgh.” The cab driver says, “Get out of my cab; I hear that crap all the time.” Finally Mantle convinces him they are for real, so the cab driver calls his boss and says “What’s the charge to take these guys to Pittsburgh?” $500.00 is the answer, and off they go. Somehow they get to Forbes Field, and the team is already taking batting practice. Ford wasn’t pitching, so all he had to do was run in the outfield. Mickey and Billy are in the locker room trying to get their socks on as fast as they can and praying that Casey Stengel didn’t notice they weren’t on the train. Mantle is bent over tying his shoes and whispering to Billy out of the side of his mouth, when a hand is placed on his shoulder. Martin is nowhere to be found and Casey is standing there. He says, “I don’t know where you jerks have been and I don’t know what you have done, but I wanta know. You two are going to play the whole
(A) include temporary or prolonged altered brain function resulting in physical, cognitive, or emotional symptoms or altered sleep patterns; and (B) involve loss of consciousness.
Manifestation/Symptoms
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Concussion can produce a wide variety of symptoms that should be familiar to those having responsibility for the wellbeing of student-athletes engaged in competitive sports in Texas. Symptoms reported by athletes may include: headache; nausea; balance problems or dizziness; double or fuzzy vision; sensitivity to light or noise; feeling sluggish; feeling foggy or groggy; concentration or memory problems; confusion. Signs observed by parents, friends, teachers or coaches may include: appears dazed or stunned; is confused about what to do; forgets plays; is unsure of game, score or opponent; moves clumsily; answers questions slowly; loses consciousness; shows behavior or personality changes; can’t recall events prior to hit; can’t recall events after hit. Any one or group of symptoms may appear immediately and be temporary, or delayed and long lasting. The appearance of any one of these symptoms should alert the responsible personnel to the possibility of concussion.
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Response to Suspected Concussion
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A student “shall be removed from an interscholastic athletics practice or competition immediately if one of the following persons believes the student might have sustained a concussion during the practice or competition:
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(1) a coach;
Concussion Oversight Team (COT) Requirements: The governing body of each school district and open-enrollment charter school with students enrolled who participate in an interscholastic athletic activity shall appoint or approve a concussion oversight team. Each concussion oversight team shall establish a return-to-play protocol, based on peer reviewed scientific evidence, for a student's return to interscholastic athletics practice or competition following the force or impact believed to have caused a concussion. Membership: Each concussion oversight team must include at least one physician and, to the greatest extent practicable, considering factors including the population of the metropolitan statistical area in which the school district or open-enrollment charter school is located, district or charter school student enrollment, and the availability of and access to licensed health care professionals in the district or charter school area, must also include one or more of the following: (1) an athletic trainer; (2) an advanced practice nurse; (3) a neuropsychologist; or (4) a physician assistant. If a school district or open-enrollment charter school employs an athletic trainer, the athletic trainer must be a member of the district or
(2) a physician; (3) a licensed health care professional; or (4) the student's parent or guardian or another person with legal authority to make medical decisions for the student.” For additional information, consult the “Frequently Asked Questions And Resources Document Regarding Implementation of House Bill 2038” that is available on Health and Safety Section of the UIL web site. Dotson’s other note: As you can see, the UIL is very concerned regarding sports injuries. It also does everything possible to prevent them. It is my opinion that the positive lessons learned in high school sports participation far outweighs the risk of injury. I would encourage all students to participate in as many interschool activities as possible. I firmly believe that the school sport venues are an extension of the classroom. --You are reminded of the “Veterans Weekly Round Table” each Tuesday 9 a.m.-11 a.m. in the Del Mar College, Center for Economic Development, Room 132. We plan to discuss any concerns veterans may have. Spouses, relatives and interested friends are welcome to attend. Your comments, suggestions, questions and concerns regarding “Moon Sports Talk” are appreciated. Please call the Benchwarmers at 361-560-5297 weekdays, Mondays thru Fridays, 3-6 P.M. or contact me. Phone: 361949-7681 Cell: 539-748-8475 Email: dlewis1@ stx.rr.com
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