Inside the Moon
Island Trash Report A5
Deep Sea Roundup A6
Gathering of the Nations A7
Sports A8
Photo by Bill Johnson
The
Issue 587
Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996
July 16, 2015
Around The Island By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
Angler killed in offshore accident
As you wander around our little sandbar this week you have probably noticed the arrival of large numbers of high school aged kids arriving in school buses. They are FFA members from across the state as a substantial number of the 109,000 members of the 1,032 chapters in Texas are in town for their convention. On the FFA Bucket List is a selfie on the beach and a trip home with a lobster tan. These are good kids who come down for a little fun and we welcome them to our Island. On Wednesday morning as we were preparing to go to press the phones started ringing to report the presence of a small army of Corpus Christi’s finest who set up at the bottom of the JFK Causeway to help Island commuters remember the speed limit on their way OTB. The officers on the Island side of the bridge identified the sinners and their peers on the Laguna side wrote the tickets. We’re not sure if/when they will be back so slow down everybody.
Just passing through
Dangerous passage We are now well into the Summer Tourist Season and as the rain has left us the tourists have arrived en masse. The Landing Strip between Port A and Padre is pretty well jammed from Friday through Sunday noon and it is a treacherous piece of business folks as drivers entering the road and turning across traffic often take dangerous chances because, well, that’s about the only kind of chances there are to get on that road. Plans call for passing lanes to be in place by this time next year which will help but in the meantime be very careful when you drive that road, all it takes is one bad decision by one driver for things to turn deadly. We will close on that happy note. Get your OTB business done on Thursday everybody and we’ll see you at the Ski Basin. Say hello if you see us Around The Island.
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Surfers take notice!
Endless Summer Creator and Texas Surf Museum Celebrate Anniversaries with Celebration July 24
That November Brown and two friends, Mike Hynson, and Robert August from South California caught a flight to West Africa with camera gear, surfboards, and round the world tickets in hand. David Sotello, 31, died on Saturday, July 11th while enjoying his favorite childhood hobby of deep sea fishing. Sotello fell overboard from the charter fishing boat Wrecklamation about 15 miles offshore of Port Aransas and suffered deep cuts to his legs and side. The boat captain and three of his friends rescued him from the water and he was airlifted by a Coast Guard helicopter to a Corpus Christi hospital where he died a few hours later. The Coast Guard is still investigating the accident.
Their adventure eventually led them to Cape St. Francis on the shores of the Indian Ocean where they found what they were looking for; a righthand pointbreak peeling endlessly down the beach with rolls so long Brown couldn’t film one with a single 100-foot roll of film which lasted nearly three minutes. The perfect wave.
Deep Sea Roundup Page A7
Robert August, Mike Hynson, and Bruce Brown, on location. The result was the classic surf film The Endless Summer made for $50,000 and released in 1966. On Friday, July 24, Brown, Hynson, and August, among others, will be in Corpus Christi as the Texas Surf Museum celebrates its tenth anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the film’s release with a Luau dinner and live music at the American Bank Center. The Texas Surf Museum, located at 312 Chaparral Street downtown next to the Executive Surf Club, is the only surf museum on the Gulf Coast and
Bon voyage amigos. Have a good sail. We have been getting a lot of questions hereabout concerning the Aransas Queen gambling boat up Aransas Pass way. We haven’t been out yet but we do have some friends who work on the boat and several readers who have been out. The word is to pick a calm day if you are going out as the boat isn’t that big and doesn’t do too well in heavy seas.
Free
In the summer of 1963 California surfer Bruce Brown had a dream. He wanted to travel the world in search of the perfect wave and share the experience though a film.
And speaking of Bucket Lists we were hanging out on Tuesday along the Laguna Madre watching the sunset when these two fellows sailed up. They are father and son Juan and Avelino Martinez from Veracruz whose Bucket List included a sailing trip from Galveston to Veracruz. They flew to Houston and spent two weeks in Kemah looking for a sailboat. It took two weeks because Kemah is one of the largest marinas in the country and there are said to be more than 10,000 sailboats there and as most anyone who has a sailboat knows pretty much every sailboat out there is for sale. They ended up settling for the first one they looked at and though neither knew anything about sailing they set off on their adventure. It was their fourth day out when we ran across them and they spent the night here on The Island before heading south.
Gambling Boat
Live Music A18
Special Meeting Called for Island Development Plan By Dale Rankin The Island Strategic Action Committee (ISAC) will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22, to develop an area development plan for The Island as part of the Plan CC 2035. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Veranda Restaurant at. The ISAC is an advisory committee to the Corpus Christi City Council and its Chairman, Greg Smith issued a statement to members on Wednesday. “The workshop item will be a discussion of the draft 2035 Comprehensive plan as it pertains to Padre and Mustang Island.” The second draft of the 2035 plan is currently available for review on the city’s website and will provide the framework for five more localized plans for areas around the city. At the last meeting of the ISAC city staff
ISAC continued on A3
was founded in 2005 by Surf Club owner Brad Lomax and longtime South Texas surfer Pat McGee. It became a non-profit corporation last October and the July 24 event is its first major fundraiser. The museum currently has on exhibit the film gear used to shoot Endless Summer on loan from the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente, California. Endless Summer has become one of the highest-grossing documentaries of all time and has spawned two sequels, The Endless Summer II (1994) and The Endless Summer Revisited (2000) and it is the only surf movie
The original camera equipment used in the film is on display at the Texas Surf Museum ever to become what Hollywood refers to as a franchise. Tickets for the event are $125 and available by calling 8822364. They are limited to 400 and as of this writing over 300 have already been sold.
A little Island history
Dredging of the Laguna Madre
Editor’s note: Bobbie Kimbrell moved to Flour Bluff, where he still lives, in 1943 and was a commercial fisherman until his retirement in the 1990s. By Bobbie Kimbrell The dredging of the Intracoastal Canal in the Laguna Madre started in 1946, give a take six months. Before that time about the only dredging of channels in the Lagoon was the Humble channels that were dug in the Upper Lagoon for oil well locations. The farthest channel south ended at about where Glen Oak Drive ends at Laguna Shores Drive. The rest of the channels were short and in the vicinity of where the JFK Causeway and the Humble Bridge are today across the Laguna Madre into Dead Man’s Hole. It was a narrow channel and although filled in now it is still usable to get into Dead Man’s Hole if you keep your outboard boat on a plane at high speed. Even the part that runs from the Intracoastal Canal toward the Hum ble Bridge is still visible by air. In the early 1930s the Pure Oil Company dug a channel from
the King Ranch Shoreline to about the middle of the Laguna Madre and then dug another channel about onehalf mile north.
commercial fishermen used the barge in their fishing operations.
A large house barge was anchored in the channel for the housing and eating and living quarters for the roughnecks who drilled the oil wells. Hurricanes through the years damaged the house barge and eventually a hurricane did away with it. Throughout the years after the Pure Oil Company quit using the house barge different groups of
The Pure Oil Channel is about four or five miles south of Pita Island. In 1944 the Naval Air Stations started dredging of the Crash Channel that started at the NAS and ended about where the JFK Causeway meets the shoreline of Padre Island. They also dredged the Sea Plane water runways out from the
Pure Oil Channel
Guns continued on A6
A2
July 16, 2015
Island Moon
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What can we fix for you today? Computer, Tablet, and Smartphone Repair, Web Design, On-Site Services, Remote Support AE Tech Services 4855 S Alameda St Ste. 207 Corpus Christi, TX 78412 361-452-1066 www.aetechservices.com The year is 1845.
General Zachary Taylor and the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment are dispatched to Texas and the first U.S. Flag is planted on Texas soil located north of Port Aransas.
The Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Society, Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce & Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce
Present the 170th Anniversary of this moment in history with Re-enactment by the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
Sunday, July 26, 2015 1:00 p.m. Rockport
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Grand Opening Here are some pictures from Angela Amaral-Dunn's recent trip to Germany, my hometown is located on the romantic street in southern Germany. While she was there she ran in the Rothenburg halfmarathon and won 1st place in the woman masters division
Cinnamon Shore Showroom Friday, July 24 ~ 3-9pm 5009 Hwy 361 Port Aransas, TX www.hlancasterco.com
You spend a lot of time in your home, your castle, and the furniture it contains holds a unique place in your life. It provides comfort and functionality. Sit around the dinner table with your family, relax in your living room with friends, and dream in your bed. Memories are tied to your surroundings, and furniture becomes part of that memory. You touch furniture every day and the furniture should touch you.
At our Aransas Pass workshop, the crafters of H Lancaster Co shape freshly hewn new woods and reclaimed old woods into beautiful, unique furniture that will be a part of your family for generations.
Made in America
Solvej Dining Table
July 16, 2015
Island Moon
Letters to the Editor
Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder
Whitecap
Padre Island Teen By Elizabeth Clark
Did Ya Hear?
A3
by Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com or @padreeyelander on twitter
Dear Elizabeth, How do I convince my parents to get me a car? Thanks! Pedestrian Pam 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
Mr. Ron Olson City Manager City of Corpus Christi 1201 Leopard Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401 Dear Mr. Olson: Thank you for the quick action regarding the signage at the West end of Whitecap Boulevard. The Dead End sign (see photo) may not be the total solution to the problem, but it will be sure to help. Also, thanks for Colleen McIntyre’s assistance and follow-up.
Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Chad Peters
Sincerely,
Todd Hunter
Jim Gaugler
Dotson Lewis
Commodore, PIYC
Ronnie Narmour Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers
Child Approached
Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Ronnie Narmour Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus)
We live close to the corner of Cuttysark & Eaglesnest Bay Dr. My kids were out front when a dark red or maroon 4 door car with 4 men who my daughter said looked to be in their 30's asked her to get in the car for some candy. She said no and ran home. My husband is out looking for this car now. Please share this post. We also plan to inform the police. Chanda Upton Engle
Aquarius Light If you'd like information about the City's progress on trying to put a stoplight at Aquarius, I suggest you may call Corpus Christi capital improvements, at this number -
Riley P. Dog Publisher Dale Rankin About the Island Moon
The Island Moon is published every Thursday, Dale Rankin, Editor / Publisher. Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses. News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office.
The Island Moon Newspaper 14646 Compass, Suite 3 Corpus Christi, TX 78418 361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper
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If they continue to say no, they may have good reason. You might want to try asking for something smaller or continue to work harder for that car. Good luck! If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, email me at PadreIslandTeen@ gmail.com.
From the Island Facebook page ISAC continued from A1 theislandmoonnewspaper: told the 11-member committee that certain
Brent Rourk
Port Aransas
Many teens get a "no" every time they ask for a gift or favor. There are a few ways we can reverse this: be mature, be respectful, and exceed expectations. Your parents only want to see you become a thoughtful and productive adult, and showing them how responsible you are will really impress them. You can go even further by saving money. Once you have demonstrated how mature you can be, ask them politely for what you want... and if they say no, don't fall apart. Keep your game up and ask again in a few weeks. Prove that you are persistent. Show how hard you work and do as much as you can to make them proud.
Liquid Town Whataburger on Waldron Ethyl Everly Senior Center Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID
361-826-3837 Their PIO, or spokesperson's name is Michele. Hope this finds you well, Bob Algeo
EPA Wants to Know How Much Corn You Want in Your Boat’s Gas Tank Comment Deadline July 27
THE ISSUE: The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is the 2005 federal law that requires the blending of biofuels such as corn-ethanol into our gasoline. When it was written, it assumed that America’s use of gasoline would continue to rise and mandated escalating amounts of biofuels to be blended with our fuel. Since 2005, however, gasoline usage has actually declined steadily, which today forces more ethanol into less gasoline. To keep up with this RFS mandate, in 2010 the EPA permitted E15 (fuel containing up to 15% ethanol) into the marketplace. Even though E15 is prohibited from being used in marine engines, snowmobiles, motorcycles, small engines like lawnmowers and leaf blowers, as well as any vehicle made before 2001, this fuel can now be found in 24 states at the very same pumps as E10 (10% ethanol). Millions of recreational boaters fill their boat’s fuel tanks at roadside gas stations where the higher blend ethanol fuels are often the cheapest fuel at the pump. The only warning you may have is one sticker mixed in with all the other warning labels on the pump. This creates a huge potential for misfueling and puts boaters at risk of using fuel that will damage their engines. ACTION NEEDED NOW: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asking for comments on a proposal to increase the amount of ethanol that must be blended into the nation’s fuel supply for 2015 and 2016. If adopted, these proposed levels will require the use of a record amount of ethanol, forcing higher-level fuel blends (including E15) into more gas stations. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) urges recreational boaters to send a message to the EPA now by going to http://goo. gl/CkfOtK and demand that the agency lower the ethanol mandate to ensure an adequate supply of safe fuel. Comment deadline is July 27. BoatUS has additional information on the RFS at BoatUS.com/gov/RFS.asp.
elements of the citywide plan could impact development on The Island through provisions which govern the type of buildings allowed and through zoning. The comment period for the second, and final, draft of the plan closes on July 20, but the plan is not scheduled to go before the city council until August 18. Smith said he would like to have a plan, or at least a broad outline of a plan, in place to get to the council by that time. The ISAC began discussions on an area development plan late last year but a changeover in membership in March waylayed progress. Next week’s meeting will begin building on that plan. Of particular interest to the ISAC up to this point has been concerns about growing traffic counts and congestion on The Island but Smith said the public is encouraged to attend the Wednesday meeting to include any topics of interest. The new plan will replace the current Island Development Plan which was written in 2004 and many of its assumptions about the rate of growth on The Island are outdated. One particular item which has been discussed by the ISAC in the past are numerous streets on The Island which were in original design plans for The Island which were drawn up when the area was first developed in the 1970 but which have never been built. They are located primarily in the area on the east side of SPID north of the intersection of State Highway 361. While bond issues aimed at improving streets across the city have been approved in recent years the so called “paper” streets have not been part of those plans. Over the course of the next few years as Island traffic increases those streets are expected to be needed to reduce traffic counts on the SPID corridor between the JFK Causeway and Whitecap. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the ISAC is set for 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 4, at Comfort Suites on Windward. All ISAC meetings are open to the public.
New Advertisers H Lancaster Company is having a grand opening at their new showroom at Cinnamon Shore in Port A Friday, July 24th 3 – 9 pm. The crafters shape freshly hewn new woods and reclaimed old woods into beautiful, unique furniture that will be a part of your family for generations. Check out their beach collection that’s perfect for our Island living. Their main showroom and manufacturing location is at 260 E. Goodnight in Aransas Pass. Padre Painting Plus are experienced Island painters that are reliable and can be counted on to do a great job. Call Blake Morin at 9604569 or Gabriela Castro at 561-7229 or email them at padrepaintingplus@gmail.com. Camtronics are specialists in aircraft and marine radio and electronics. They are a FAA & FCC certified repair station. Call Dan Campbell at 749-1763 or 918-520-3373 or email Dan@CamtronicsAviation.com. A 2 Family Moving Sale will be held at 13970 Lanyard 9 am - 5pm July 18th and 19th. There will be furniture, ladders and more.
Business Briefs Chef Johnny D is now part of the Dragonfly Restaurant kitchen crew. The Port Aransas City Council is considering an ordinance banning alcohol on the beach after dark during Spring Break. The Schlitterbahn Tennis Program has summer sessions for ages 5-7, 8-10 and 11 and up. They have adult lessons for beginners and returning players. All tennis classes are under the direction of Todd Norton, USPTA certified tennis professional. Call 830-8376556 for more info and to book your lesson. Dress for Success is an upscale rummage sale that will be held at the Sunrise Mall Friday, July 17th until the 19th. Jerry Seinfeld will be at the American Bank Center Selena Auditorium on Friday, July 24th at 7 pm. Ticket price range is $50 - $125. The deal on the new restaurant going into the old Johnny D’s Restaurant location should be finalized within a week. The Padre Island Business Association and the Animal Hospital will be holding a joint mixer 5:30-7:30 pm Tuesday, July 21st at the Animal Hospital of Padre Island. There will be music, door prizes and goodies. All are welcome. Gary P. Nunn will be playing this Saturday, July 18th at the Back Porch in Port A. Eyerly Senior Center in Flour Bluff is having a Luau Dinner and Dance Friday, July 17th 4:30 -7:30 pm. Cost is $6 and reservations can be made at 826-2330. Padre Island Dog Owners Group (PI DOG) will meet at Briscoe Pavilion on Saturday, July 18th 9 am for a beach walk. To join this group go to padreislanddogpark. com. 7s by the Sea Rugby Tournament will be held on the beach between the seawall and the Packery Saturday, July 18th beginning at 9 am. The Pelican Lounge sponsored team The Dirty Birds will be participating. Southwest Airlines is building an international terminal in Houston and will start flights to Central and South America after it is completed in October. They already have started daily flights to Costa Rica. Help out our Island and Port A local businesses by giving them a good review on the Yelp app when you have had a great experience. It makes a difference – more and more people are reading the reviews before going to a business.
Climate change may alter a fish’s chemistry Glen and his Back Porch Babes
SATURDAY JULY 18 & SUNDAY JULY 19 GUNS • KNIVES • JEWELRY • COINS • AMMO
ARANSAS PASS CIVIC CENTER 700 W. WHEELER • ARANSAS PASS, TX
SAT. 9-5, SUN. 9-4 254-485-2770 OR 254-485-3698
Scientists find evidence that fish may be able to adapt to climate change and specifically, ocean acidification. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere raise the CO2 levels of the oceans, making them more acidic. Research has already determined that ocean acidification can impact many animals, especially those that require lots of calcium carbonate, like corals and clams. Scientists have just discovered that ocean acidification is also affecting fish by changing the chemical composition of their bodies. The scientists, including Dr. Lee Fuiman at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute, grew red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) in sea water at present day CO2 levels and under elevated CO2 levels predicted for the future. They discovered that fish grown under the higher CO2 levels had significantly higher levels and different proportions of fatty acids in their body. Fatty acids are major sources of energy and are essential for normal development and function in many animals including both fish and humans. The discovery that fish exposed to more acidic ocean conditions contain higher amounts of fatty acids indicates a major change in their metabolism which may have other important effects on a fish’s health. But there may be some beneficial consequences. Previous studies from Dr. Fuiman’s lab have shown that higher levels of some fatty acids may improve their ability to escape from predators. In addition, since young fish are often eaten by larger fish, the higher levels of fatty acids are passed up the food chain. This discovery expands our understanding of how climate change affects marine organisms and suggests new physiological pathways for these effects.
Send Letters to editor@islandmoon.com
A4
July 16, 2015
Island Moon
So Long Kiwi
Islander Mackenzie revolutionizes shuffleboard! Photo by Mary Craft
Our old friend Kevin (Kiwi) Berryman got a gracious memorial last week as a group of friends, and Kiwi had many, gathered to remember their friend who passed away last week. Kiwi first moved to The Island in 1997. He will be missed.
Come see all of our fun new arrivals! Everything for your home and garden! New shipment just arrived from San Miguel, Delores Hidalgo and Michoacan.Folk Art Textiles, Home Décor. Happy Fourth of July!
Birthday Beach Bash for Robin Krenek and Johnny Philips
Island Creations Remodeling
Total Renovation & Remodels, Outdoor Kitchens & Spas, Additions, Kitchen & Bathroom Upgrades, Sunporches, Replacement of Windows and Doors, Roofing, Painting & Stucco
Landscaping Insured Member, Padre Island Business Association Member, Builders Association, Corpus Christi
1726 State Hwy 361 Suite k • 749-1828 Next to Tower Center’s Old Location
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Design work, Yard Maintenance, Decks, Pergolas, Installation of Rock, Grass, Plants, Trees, Walkways, Paths, Tree Trimming, Container Planting, Vacant Lot Mowing & Shade Covers. All Kinds of Fencing, Pressure Washing & Deck Staining & Sealing
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Owned & Operated by Island Residents David & Katherine Pierce References Available Upon Request Commercial & Residential
Doing Everything a Home or Business Needs
July 16, 2015
A5
Island Moon
A Look at Beach Maintanance
History continued from A1 NAS that were designed for the use of catapulting an airplane. That operation was used for one day only and abandoned. The loud blast given off from the catapulting got the attention of all the locals was well as those working on the NAS. Since that time numerous channels have been dug for oil well locations all up and down the Lagoon. Nearly every channel that was dug destroyed good fishing grounds, especially the Intracoastal Canal because of the large spoil areas where the bottom sand was deposited.
Intracoastal dredging begins
Local Non-Profit Hosts Fundraising Fashion Show featuring Local Rescue Dogs
Islander Carter Tate who is a member of the Island Strategic Action Committee has compiled a report to present the the next regular meeting on Tuesday, August 4 – a special meeting has been called for July 22 – concerning beach maintenance during the heavy summer season.
Local animal rescue organization, Mission Pawsible Animal Assistance of Corpus Christi (“Mission Pawsible”), is hosting their 2nd annual “Struttin’ for Strays” Fashion Show featuring “Woofalicious” Styles for Pets on Thursday, July 30th, 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., at Vino Mio Social Club, 4102 S. Staples, in Carmel Village Shopping Center. Tickets are $30 and include a buffet, live music, a silent auction, a comedic performance by John Roman and door prizes. Dogs that have been rescued off the streets and are available for adoption will be showcased on stage.
Here is a list of the trash receptacles and public facilities he counted on area beaches.
The first dredge that was used to start the dredging of the Intracoastal Canal in the Laguna Madre was an electric powered dredge. It started at the bulkheads where Corpus Christi Bay ends south and where the Laguna Madre begins north. Telephone poles and high lines started at or near the NAS and extended down the edge of the marked off to-be canal. That dredge dug about five to seven miles south into the lagoon and from there on another dredge took over. Rod and reel fishing was good from the back of the dredge as it stirred up shell fish and bottom worms. The dredge that took over was diesel powered with a steady stream of black smoke coming out of the smoke stack. When the dredge got to Baffin Bay where the rocks start, TNT was used to blast the rocks loose and apart and a rock cutter bit was used to grind up the smaller pieces as it was sucked from the bottom. It was a pretty noisy operation that ran twenty-four hours non-stop except for breakdowns and repairs, with the dredge hands living on the dredge. To the best of my remembrance another dredge had started north working from Port Isabel and the two dredges met about halfway between Port Mansfield and Baffin Bay in the dry land cut. There was a big celebration since that completed the making of the Intracoastal Can from Brownsville on the Gulf of Mexico all the way up the Atlantic Coast of the USA to the most northern port of the USA. There was a steady stream of Corp of Engineers boats as well as pleasure boats and yachts making the trip. It didn’t go down in history as being as big as when the golden railroad spikes were driven in Utah when the first railroad was completed from the east to the west coasts, bit it was a great feat for the War Department knowing that oil could now be shipped anywhere up and down the coast without the fear of a torpedo sinking the ship.
Mission Pawsible is a local non-profit animal rescue organization that is committed to rescuing homeless animals and placing them in foster homes for socialization. Each animal is then given the proper medical attention it needs and deserves. The rescued animals are then taken to on-site adoption events after they have been vaccinated and spayed or neutered with the hopes of finding each animal a forever home. Mission Pawsible also concentrates on promoting public awareness regarding animal welfare issues, pet health care, and most importantly, the necessity of spaying and neutering.
The channel opens Just as soon as the canal was completed a lot of the commercial fishermen from Flour Bluff cranked up their motorboats and headed for Port Isabel, mainly because that area was open to legal gill netting for six winter months. The first commercial boat to make the trip through the landcut was the Clark brothers, Harve and Ed in their 40-foot cabin boat. The opening of the canal resulted in the water in the Lagoon to become fresher and after a couple of years there was no more fish kills because of the high salinity in the low tide summer months.
All proceeds from the fashion show event will benefit Mission Pawsible Animal Assistance of Corpus Christi. For tickets, call 361-277-1731 or purchase tickets at Pup-A-Palooza! Boutique located at 7602 South Staples Street or Glam R Us Boutique at 1117 Airline.
Hindsight tells us the completion of the canal was a stepping stone to the development of North Padre Island because within one or two years a causeway was built to Padre Island.
Mission Pawsible Animal Assistance of Corpus Christi is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
The first dredge used to clean out the canal as it silted in was the Dredge Roy Miller, named after the same man as Roy Miller High School, a statesman and entrepreneur of coastal betterments. I worked on the dredge as a deckhand all the way from Baffin Bay to Port Isabell. We pulled into Port Mansfield for repairs since some of the bearings in the winding gears that pull the dredge from side to side wore out. We crawled into the gears to take them out so the engineer could pour new Babbitt bearings. The grease ruined the set of clothing we were wearing but the skipper saw to it that we earned overtime for the unusual work. As we traveled south from Baffin Bay in the landcut we cabled all of the dredge barges and pipe floats behind one another with the whole load being about two hundred yards long. The south wind was blowing so hard it caused the tail end to hit the bank and we broke up two different times even with a tug trying to keep tail end in the canal. Back then the landcut was just like a river with banks about six feet high. Not so today, the wind, rain, and erosion eliminated the banks. At Port Isabel we eliminated a sharp turn where barges were always running aground by making the canal twice as wide in the area. The fill was pumped ashore at Port Isabel and it was used for the landfill to start building the first causeway across the Lagoon to South Padre Island.
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My days of working on the dredge came to an end as I was unexpectedly drafted into the Army during the Korean War. As luck would have it I ended up in Okinawa, 500 miles from Korea, guarding the Kadena Air Force Base that flew war supplies to Korea. We guarded the base with halftracks mounted with quad fifties in the event of an air attack from North Korea and/or their allies. After leaving Okinawa and getting off the ship in Frisco, the first thing I did was squat down and touch the concrete deck with the palms of my hands. It felt good to be back on American soil again.
with purchase of highlight service
The dredging of the Intracoastal Canal has its assets and faults as well. It’s a great boost to the economy because it makes for more navigable waters which helps the tourist industry. The faults are so much of the area is covered up with spoil dumps.
949-0794
Overall I give the canal an A rating and as Shirley Temple would sing in one of her movies, “Here comes the good ship Lollipop.”
www.theislandsedgehairsalon.com
Texas Sales Tax Holiday is Aug. 7 to 9 Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar reminds shoppers they can save money on certain items priced under $100 during the state's annual sales tax holiday. This year, the sales tax holiday is scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 7 - 9. The law exempts most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks priced under $100 from sales tax, which could save shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend during the weekend. “As the father of three young children, I know back-to-school expenses can really put a strain on family budgets this time of year,” Hegar said. “This is an opportunity for families to save some money and prepare for the start of the school year.” Lists of apparel and school supplies that may be purchased tax-free can be found on the Comptroller's website at TexasTaxHoliday.org. This year, shoppers will save an estimated $87 million in state and local sales taxes during the sales tax holiday. The tax holiday weekend has been an annual event since 1999.
Being a Driver in Corpus Christi Americans collectively spend about $124 billion each year in wasted time and fuel due to traffic congestion. The website WalletHub this week named the best cities in the United States for drivers and Corpus Christi was named the second best city in the country for driving based on congestion and time spent sitting in traffic. (1=Best; 50=Avg.). • 3 – Average Annual Hours of Traffic Delays rd
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A6
July 16, 2015
Island Moon
Backwater Adventures Deep Sea Roundup
On the Rocks By Jay Gardner I take off for a week, and had expected to come home to a clean(er) beach water conditions, but no such luck. Reports from the Friends of Padre indicate that the cool, dirty water is still prevalent along the length of the beach, but may finally be showing signs of starting to train out. Of course, I wrote that several weeks ago, and my future as a prophet on these things may be in serious question. A quick look at the ripcharts still shows the same bleak, dismal picture. So I guess I will continue to work on the skiff and
Around these parts, we’ve already had three cases ourselves, with the latest being a former football coach from Palo Duro, Doug James. He got a cut on him while wadefishing, and the next day they were amputating his leg below the knee. He died on the table at one time, but the doctors were able to bring him back. He barely survived. This stuff is bad, and I urge everyone to keep a bottle of peroxide or rubbing alcohol on board your boat, or in your first aid kit when you head to the beach. Better to nip those kinds of things in the bud before they take off on you.
Well loyal readers, here we are buried off in mid-summer, with a lot of heat and no more apparent rain in sight. Petty crime is high due to I-don’t-know-what, but I usually surmise that it has something to do with people traveling and school being out. Make sure to lock all your doors. We had a kid try the car doors in the middle of the day when I was in Tampa the other day; someone just happened to look outside and see him doing it. By the time Randy unlocked the door and ran out into the street, the kid was two blocks away and hooking it down the street. Come to find out, it was Scrawled cowfish around a patch reef the kid from across the canal, who had seemed like a normal neighborhood kid, at least up until that point in fight the weeds in the back 40. time. Protect your stuff. And drop me a line Tampa was lovely, with awesome water at jaygardner@scientist.com and I’ll see you on conditions and a party-like atmosphere about the rocks if the water will clear. everywhere I went. Scallop season was in full swing, and I would have to equate the start of scallop season to the start of dove season over in these parts. Everyone who’s anyone gets their boats together and heads for the middle section of the Florida west coast to get in on the action. The shelf out there is from 5-20’ deep for like 20 miles offshore. There is PLENTY of territory. The kids even get in on the action, as this is a family affair. Everyone dons their snorkel gear along with a small mesh sack, and it’s off to the races! Folks swim around like it’s an easter egg hunt, and a boat Scallop sitting in the turtle grass limit is 10 gallons of uncleaned oysters (which, cleaned is over half a gallon, plenty to mess with). Then, you use butter knives to open the scallops and clean out the gushy part to leave the adductor muscle, which you can leave on the half shell and grill, or clean out and fry or whatever with them. The hard work is definitely worth it! After being waterlogged (but happy) for three days, we finally gave up our room at the hotel and headed back south to Tampa for some fishing. We got one afternoon of fun stuff before the rains started, effectively ending the boating fun for the rest of my vacation. But good times were had by all. I managed a flounder off the dock, and Emily got another one and a redfish. Randy got a decent snook off the dock, and the linesider was released. I highly recommend heading out for some scalloping if you’re looking for something the whole family can get in to. Kids as young as 5 years old were in on the action. While I was out east, I read in the news that another person had died of Vibrio in the Tampa bay area, bringing the tally to three people who have succumbed this year alone. They average around 30 cases a year, with between 8-9 deaths. That’s even higher than here in Texas! It makes the news, about as it does here, but it seems not too many people take precaution about it.
Photos by Ronnie Narmour
Robert Pruski, Jr. 361.652.2278 adventure1mgmt@gmail.com
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July 16, 2015
A7
Island Moon
Where the Weed Went for Summer 2015 The absence of the ubiquitous Sargassum weed in Island shores this summer has been a blessing for local beachgoers, but not so for those further south. The weed not washing up on our shores has found a home on beach across the Caribbean which find themselves buried under a bumper crop of the stuff.
by Dale Rankin
In St. Thomas they have had what residents say is a record year for Sargassum due, they believe, to shifting currents. Reports are that it is bad from the southern Caribbean all the way to Cape Hatteras. The Dominican Republic is seeing large amounts that are affecting fishing.
Stuff I Heard on the Island
Sea Weed this summer off Barbados. This is Bathsheba on the east coast.
In 1991 I went to an interview to get into graduate business school at the University of Texas. After a brief discussion the interviewer asked me one question. “If I said to you that if government wasn’t invented to be the most inefficient user of capital ever conceived, it is at least the most inefficient user of capital invented so far what would you say.”
out about it, or find a way to take enough money to look the other way. If private industry did that the government would throw them in jail. Now a couple of low-level government officials will get fired and the President of Mexico, who was quoted in the Mexican Press as saying “The state looks putrefied” had to interrupt a trip to France and that’s about it. Inefficiency in motion.
“I cover government for a living,” I said. “I probably know someone who would disagree with that but I can’t think of who that would be right now.”
It reminds me of the time I noticed all the dead shrubbery in front of the brand new Bexar County Jail and wondered what killed it. I found out Sheriff Harlon Copeland had boarded up the restrooms in the new jail and was forcing people visiting inmates to use the flower beds behind the shrubbery outside. It killed the plants but that was okay; the sheriff’s girlfriend who had the landscaping concession would sell the county more at a cost of $40,000 per round. It was a beautiful plan that only a government could get away with.
And that’s how I got into graduate school. Business school professors as it turns out are not big fans of Big Government.
When I studied Political Science in school, a term I always thought must have been invented by someone with a real sense of humor, we studied the Peter Principles the most oft quoted of which is that a person will rise in an organization to his/her level of incompetence. But in fact there are twenty of them and here are a couple I’ve always liked. Peter's Principle #1
Joaquin Chapo Guzman El Chapo Here is sea weed(Sargassum) packed in at a marina in St. Thomas, USVI
National Native American Pow Wow Huge in Albuquerque Over 200 Nations Represented By Brent Rourk Writer’s Note: I attended the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, New Mexico in April and was astounded at how incredible this event truly is. Profoundly rich in color, music, and authentic Native American Dress and Dance, the event was one of the most powerful that I have experienced. I took the accompanying photographs (among thousands that I took on one day. The event is historical and spiritual entertainment that will leave lasting memories. Arriving early with my guide and finding a choice location on the main floor to view the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow, my initial thoughts were that this event was not as popular as I had anticipated and that few would attend. It was early. A couple of bands warmed up a sparse and listless crowd as visitors trickled into the Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In two hours the Pit was transformed into a packed venue with Native American drumming and over 200 nations in native dress dancing on the main floor. The sounds and electricity in the air in this full events center were immeasurable.
Filling the Pit At noon 1,700 Native Americans descended into the Pit from several aisles and ramps. The drumming and music were mesmerizing as the floor quickly became crowded and then packed. To see this many Native Americans in different traditional dress on that jammed floor was to capture scenes that will forever be etched in my memory.
body, color and texture as well as specific meaning.
Dancing and Drumming Rarely have I not been able to speak or communicate, but I must admit that I was speechless throughout much of the day at the Pit as I closely observed Native Americans dancing and drumming with an indescribable spirit, an immense pride, and an indefatigable energy. Surrounded on the main floor by a cacophony of color and unique dress, my eyes and brain were on overload. Between excited bursts of taking hundreds of photographs I sat down to take it all in, still on the main floor but on the edge where I could get a broader view.
Gathering of Nations The goal of the Gathering of Nations is to promote Native American Indian culture and to dispel myths and incorrect stereotypes about America’s indigenous peoples.
All of the Native Americans were festively dressed in their traditional Nation’s dress as they danced rhythmically to drumming. In addition, drummers from different Nations held drumming competitions throughout the day, adding a mesmerizing beat that anchored the colorful and energetic dancing. The colors of the traditional dress were brilliant, vibrant, and at times glowing. Stunning reds and scarlets contrasted with azure blues, startling yellows, and snowy whites. Headdresses, roaches, breastplates, shawls, moccasins, jingle dresses, belts, leggings, chokers, necklaces, hair ties, dance aprons, vests, turbans, ribbon shirts, sashes, bandoliers, war bonnets, rattles, shields, bags, prayer feathers, caps, frocks, hair ornaments, necklaces, animal skins, boots, buckskins, and fringes all gave the dress more
Chapo, which means Shorty in Spanish, was last seen on a security camera when he walked into the shower in a prison outside Mexico City and left the Mexican government hugging thin air. Guzman is not just your average Drug Lord. He was named the 67th most powerful person in the world by Forbes Magazine in 2013 and had already escaped once from a “top security” Mexican prison. The original story was that in his first escape he was smuggled out in a laundry basket but it later turned out that story was concocted for political cover because in fact Guzman left the prison a day after the official reaction to the “breakout” wearing a police uniform with a police escort. Until his latest imprisonment sixteen months ago Chapo had a hangar not far from the President’s at the Mexico City Airport. For his latest escape Chapo busted through a shower wall and jumped into a mile long tunnel onto a waiting motorcycle which took him to a helicopter, then to an airplane from which he posted a photo of himself and from whence he issued a death threat against a candidate for President of the United States! Only government could allow a mile-long tunnel to be dug under their nose without finding
Peter's Principle #3 Never invest in any idea you can't illustrate with a crayon Peter's Principle #4 You can't see the future through a rearview mirror. Peter's Principle #7 The extravagance of any corporate office is directly proportional to management's reluctance to reward shareholders Peter's Principle #15 When insiders are buying, it's a good sign unless they happen to be New England bankers. Peter's Principle #17 All else being equal, invest in the company with the fewest color photographs in the annual report. Peter's Principle #19 Unless you're a short seller or a poet looking for a wealthy spouse, it never pays to be pessimistic. Peter's Principle #20 Corporations, like people, change their names for one of two reasons: either they've gotten married, or they've been involved in some fiasco that they hope the public will forget. I’m thinking maybe it’s time for a name change at the Mexican Prison System.
Moon Phases
Admittedly, the overwhelming serenade to the senses was loud, vibrant, and moving, making my body and cameras vibrate to the music. It was nothing short of an immense and overpowering spiritual experience, appreciating the Native American heritage and history and then being able to share a slice of their colorful and moving culture. There were moments when I forgot I was a writer and photographer; moments when I became lost in their dancing and drumming until I remembered that I had to take photographs or hastily write a note or two to myself. The children’s dancing competitions were a crowd favorite as young kids in traditional dress found the rhythm and danced ‘their dance’; the one that they have seen their elders perform. The young men and women danced with energy and urgency while the elders danced with spirit and experience, slower but meaningfully, artfully transforming their culture, history, and experience into a flowing dance.
Dancing energetically, with each Native American displaying their native dance (yet to the same music and drumming), the Pit seemed to shake with chanting and singing, revealing history, pride, and a colorful gathering of individual nations and competitions. Throughout the day Native American men and women in various age categories participated in dance competitions with those from other nations, providing the full house with an amazing rainbow of colors, movements, and textures.
I couldn’t help but think of that this week when I read of the escape of Mexican Drug Lord (it’s a sign of the times that the AP Style Book now calls for Drug Lord to be capitalized) Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from a “top security” Mexican prison. This is the stuff legends are made of.
When the operas outnumber the football games three to zero, you know there is something wrong with your life.
Tides of the Week Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) July 16 - 22, 2015
Day
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Sunrise Moon Time Sunset
The Gathering of Nations occurs during the last weekend in April each year at the Pit on the University of New Mexico. I cannot recommend highly enough a visit to observe this rich and powerful event, especially the dancing competitions on Saturday.
Th
16
High
6:18 AM
1.5
6:44 AM Rise 7:20 AM
16
Low
10:09 PM
-0.4
8:26 PM Set 8:51 PM
F
17
High
6:37 AM
1.4
6:44 AM Rise 8:14 AM
17
Low
10:44 PM
-0.2
8:26 PM Set 9:32 PM
For those who cannot physically visit the 3 day event, there is a live web cast provided by http://www.powwows.com . A gathering of Nations website designed to capture the spirit of the organization and to provide ‘a fun and educational experience e for all people who visit.’ See http://www.gatheringofnations.com/
Sa
18
High
6:51 AM
1.3
6:45 AM Rise 9:07 AM
18
Low
11:15 PM
-0.1
8:25 PM Set 10:09 PM
Su
19
High
7:03 AM
1.2
6:45 AM Rise 9:58 AM
19
Low
1:52 PM
0.8
8:25 PM Set 10:45 PM
19
High
4:37 PM
0.9
19
Low
11:43 PM
0.1
M
20
High
7:17 AM
1.2
6:46 AM Rise 10:50 AM
20
Low
2:17 PM
0.7
8:25 PM Set 11:19 PM
20
High
5:54 PM
0.8
Tu
21
Low
12:09 AM
0.3
6:46 AM Rise 11:40 AM 20
21
High
7:32 AM
1.1
8:24 PM Set 11:53 PM
21
Low
2:45 PM
0.6
21
High
7:21 PM
0.8
W
22
Low
12:32 AM
0.5
6:47 AM Rise 12:31 PM
22
High
7:47 AM
1.1
8:24 PM
22
Low
3:16 PM
0.4
22
High
9:04 PM
0.8
Albuquerque and New Mexico Airfare to Albuquerque is relatively inexpensive and with a rental car you should easily be able to get around Albuquerque and the surrounding areas. I combined my trip with day visits to villages 30 to 60 miles out of Albuquerque as well as the Acoma Indian Village. Enjoy these treasured Native American Nation events and locations in New Mexico where Native American history is painted with a wide and colorful brush. This is a bucket list ‘must do’ trip, and for those who treasure American and Native history it should be considered a pilgrimage. The trip and activities make for a perfect family 4-7 day trip that will eternally linger in your mind.
Moon Visible
0 0 3 7
13
28
A8
July 16, 2015
Island Moon
SPORTS Sports Talk
El Kickador
Love, Hate, Sports, and Kissing By Dotson Lewis
By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon
Special to the Island Moon Dotson’s Note: There appears to be differing opinions regarding this action by the NFL. For now, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been sentenced to a similar four-game suspension, pending an appeal for his alleged involvement in deflating footballs. With what has happened so far, what do you think will be Brady’s final, if any, punishment? Thanks to Jane McManus whose work has appeared in Newsday, USA Today, The Journal News and The New York Times for many of the facts contained in this article. Also I couldn’t pass on writing about the World Cup Soccer post-game.
questioned the moral character of the league, the NFL approached discipline like an emergency room doctor trying to stabilize a patient. A new code of conduct policy was crafted and put in place, and the NFL Players Association balked when the league tried to apply earlier infractions to the new policy. Two of the three penalties issued against the marquee abusers during the crisis have now been overturned, and Henderson denied Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's appeal of his suspension. In Peterson's case, Henderson said the commissioner's exempt list didn't count as discipline, so the arbiter really must think the actions of Hardy merited a total of four games.
There he stood at about the 25-yard line. It was hard to really know exactly where he was because of the condition of the field. He used his toe to mark the spot where he wanted the football placed on the ground. Lambeau Field, with the frigid temperature of 13 degrees below zero at game time, was glazed over by a sheet of ice. It was impossible to see the yard line markers. The date was December 31, 1967, and the warm-weather Dallas Cowboys had come to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to take on the Packers for the NFL Championship. With time running out during the first half, making this field goal would close the gap, as Green Bay led 14-7 at the time. The “Ice Bowl” was underway, and the world of professional football stills talks about it.
Hardy was arguably the worst offender, and yet, those details weren't so damaging that Henderson couldn't weigh them against 10 games and feel some sense of injustice, for Hardy, not his alleged victim. Ten games isn't simply too much, nor would be eight or six. Four games is a failed drug test -- but again, these comparisons feel trite in An early photo of Greg Hardy and Nicole Holden the face of actual violence perpetrated against real people. NFL Gets Discipline Wrong Again with
Greg Hardy's Reduced Suspension Never underestimate the NFL's Friday news dump. This week, it included word that Dallas defensive end Greg Hardy's suspension would be reduced from 10 games to four and the subsequent dismissal of a case in which Hardy was alleged to have beaten and threatened to kill his then-girlfriend. It’s business as usual for the Cowboys' Greg Hardy after his suspension was reduced. Almost a year after video of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancé, and the NFL is exactly two games tougher on domestic violence thanks to an arbiter's decision. On Friday, arbitrator Harold Henderson, a former NFL executive appointed by Goodell, whittled the suspension to four games. Henderson doesn't find that the NFL abused discretion in investigating the disturbing details of the case, including filing legal papers in North Carolina to see photographs of Hardy's alleged victim after the beating. Other details include that the case was only dropped after prosecutors said they were unable to gain the cooperation of the alleged victim for the second trial on account of an out-of-court settlement with Hardy. At least in this case, the NFL recognized the severity of Hardy's actions in light of the evidence of issuing the initial 10 games. Yet
It's the NFLPA's job to advocate for players like Hardy, Aaron Hernandez and any of the other small percentage of bad actors employed by the league. And here that advocacy means the NFL is exactly two games tougher than it was when it issued the initial two-game punishment to Rice, a punishment that was almost universally panned as weak and tone-deaf. The NFL and NFLPA should be working together to agree on a fair policy that treats abusers seriously and lets the many good men in the league do their jobs without having to decide whether they feel good being a locker away from a pass-rusher whose ex-girlfriend testified at trial that she told Hardy she was ready to die that night. But hey, 10 games is simply too much. The reason NFL justice matter is because abusers so often don't face penalties in the criminal justice system. Honestly, it's an unfair spot for the league, which has come to recognize domestic violence as a crime and installed training to help players identify and prevent sexual violence. The NFL is not the only company that suspends employees after legal charges, look no farther than Subway's decision to suspend its relationship with spokesperson Jared Fogell after his home was raided. The new code of conduct policy is an appropriate way to address these situations.
Danny Villanueva It has been recorded as a 21-yard field goal attempted and made. The Cowboys would head to the warmth of their locker room, down by four, 14-10. No. 11, Danny Villanueva, was one of the first Mexican-American placekickers and punters to play in the NFL and one of the last straight-away style placekickers. Only he knew that this would be his last game played in the National Football League. Daniel Dario Villanueva was born in a tworoom dirt hut in Tucumcari, New Mexico, to migrant missionary workers. The date was November 5, 1937, and Danny was the ninth of 12 children born into his family. A chubby kid at 5’ 11” tall and weighing over 200 pounds, Danny played football and graduated from Calexico High School. He then attended Reedley College, before receiving an offer to play football at New Mexico State University. Villanueva not only edited the college newspaper but he also became an integral part of the Aggie football teams of 1959 and 1960. New Mexico State won back-to-back Sun Bowl titles those years, as well as going undefeated his senior year (1960). Interestingly, the Aggies have not appeared in a post-season football game since then. Little did Danny know that a scout from the Los Angeles Rams had attended one of the Sun Bowl games to watch another player and wrote down in his notes that a kid named Villanueva had kicked a 49-yard field goal. Many months later, the Rams were discussing possible kickers to be drafted and the scout said, “I know this fat, little Mexican kicker I saw in El Paso. The Rams sent a future Hall of Fame player and current front office employee by the name of Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch to see if Danny had any desire to kick in the NFL. In 1960, Villanueva had just began his career as a high school teacher but chose to pay his own way to Los Angeles to try out. The story goes that when he checked into the team’s hotel, there were no rooms available so they placed him in the ballroom on a rollaway bed.
The first thing Abby Wambach did after winning the World Cup was rush to the stands to kiss her wife with these facts on the table, Harold Henderson didn't insinuate that Hardy had been mistreated, railroaded or maligned. The decision, 10 games is simply too much, takes place within the skewed universe of NFL discipline. In that context, one that looks at domestic abuse as an off-the-field distraction, Henderson can ostensibly think an employer like the NFL overreached when it adjusted a two-game suspension to an indefinite one for Rice, or in issuing 10 games to Hardy. It's a universe that allows Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to issue a victory statement welcoming Hardy back to the team because that's six more games the Cowboys will have an excellent player made cheap through his alleged abuse of a woman. Jones didn't even bother with the meaningless platitudes about how seriously the team takes domestic violence or how they will get Hardy the help he may or may not allegedly need. And here is the problem with expecting justice in NFL discipline: I don’t believe you will find it. Trying to draw some straight moral line between Tom Brady and deflated balls and throwing a woman on a pile of assault rifles according to the alleged victim, is a losing game. In the chaos of last fall, when sponsors openly
But the NFL isn't the only entity that should be taking domestic violence more seriously. Part of the reason the Rice, Peterson and Hardy cases are so frustrating is the way the legal penalties didn't match the public or photographic evidence. Many of us watched as Janay Rice was punched, and how a prosecutor's office with access to the video well before the public still declined to file charges and placed Rice in a diversionary program.
The long story short is that at the age of 23, he made the team. Danny signed as an undrafted free agent and his salary was $5,500 a year with a $200 signing bonus. He later said, “And the $200 signing bonus was taken out of my last check.” As a placekicker and punter, Danny kept two different pairs of shoes on game day. Entrance music is popular now in professional sports, especially baseball. That was not the case in the sixties, but the Rams made an exception for Villanueva. They would play bullfighting music when he walked onto the field, and the local media called him El
Kickador. In the 1960’s, segregation was also prevalent in sports, especially on the team buses. A Rams’ teammate once proclaimed, “All black guys get on that bus, white guys get on that bus, and Danny, you need to take a cab.” In 1962, with the Rams, Villanueva led the NFL in punting, with a 45.5 yards per kick average. He also set the Rams team record with a 51-yard field goal. He led the Rams in scoring from 1960 to 1963, but eventually lost his job to Bruce Gossett in 1964. Villanueva was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for wide receiver and future Hall-of-Famer, Tommy McDonald. The Cowboys tripled Villanueva’s salary to $15,000 a year. From 1965 to 1967, he set the Cowboys’ record with 100 consecutive extra-point conversions. In 1966, Danny completed an entire season without a missed extra point, with 56, and set the Cowboys’ record for most points scored in a season, with a total of 107. After eight years in the NFL, he retired at the end of the 1967 season with 491 points scored in 110 games and a punting average of 42.8 yards per kick. His last game had been “The Ice Bowl.” As for the game, it was hard fought and suddenly with 4:50 left, the Packers found themselves down 17-14 to the Cowboys. Villanueva had been perfect on that day with two extra points and a field goal. Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr marched the Packers to within two feet of the goal line, with 16 seconds remaining. With no timeouts left and the two previous running plays yielding no yardage, another running play seemed out of the question. Starr took the snap and drove into a hole created by center Ken Bowman and guard Jerry Kramer, who had combined to move Cowboy tackle, Jethro Pugh, enough for the winning touchdown. Villanueva led the NFL in punting yards with 3,960 in 1962 and 3,678 yards in 1963 and only had two punts blocked. His longest punt from scrimmage was 68 yards. He made 236 of the 241 extra points he attempted, for 97.9%. He connected on 85 of the 160 field goals attempted, for 53.1%. While with the Rams, to support his football salary, he took a job at a L.A. Spanish-language UHF station known appropriately as KMEX. He would work as a broadcaster, and by the early 1970’s, he had become part-owner of the Spanish International network (SIN). He worked tirelessly to raise money for toys and food for needy Hispanic families in Southern California. In 1986, this company was sold and renamed Univision. Villanueva went on to become a self-made multimillionaire. In 1970, Danny Villanueva became a member of the New Mexico State Athletics Hall of Fame. Danny was inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1991, he established the Danny Villanueva Scholarship Endowment Fund to recognize New Mexico State students. This fund has paid more than 40 scholarships. In 1999, he received an honorary doctorate from New Mexico State. In 2003, he joined the Management Hispanic Hall of Fame of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. By 2007, you could find his name listed in the Hispanic Sports Hall of Fame. Over the years, he had donated millions of dollars to the university over the years. Danny Villanueva met Myrna Schmidt while working at a fruit packing plant. They married and had two sons, Daniel and Jim. Daniel went to Stanford and became President of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and Jim took after his dad and became an All-American kicker at Harvard University. Danny Villanueva died from a stroke on June 18, 2015. He was 77 years of age. His story is a tale of hard work, never quitting and of reaping the benefits of a life well-lived. 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 every Thursday 6-8 PM on ESPN 1440 KEYS.
If not for Sunday night's 5-2 win against Japan, Abby Wambach would have ended her career without a World Cup win to her name. So it was no surprise, to some, that after the final whistle blew and the US women's national team became World Cup champs for the first time since 1999, Wambach sprinted toward the stands to embrace her wife, Sarah Huffman.
Others noted: • How cool was Abby jumping into the stands to kiss her wife in front of millions on national TV? It's been a good few weeks. • Abby Wambach kissed her wife after winning the World Cup and the whole bar went, "awwwwwww". How far we have come! Dotson’s Other Note: As far as I can recall, for the first time in my life I watched an entire soccer game and didn’t get bored and/or go to sleep. My questions are: 1) Well, Moon Monkeys, how does this kissing incident grab you? 2) Are you reminded of Morganna? In the past few days, I have heard many, many comments, and would very much like to hear yours. 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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July 16, 2015
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Island Moon
The Travelling Moon Gets Around
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We have the team to help you grow. Traveling Moon Scott Dornbirer returns to Juneau, AK to see family and friends of course takes Island Moon
Traveling Moon Penesecola Islanders Tom & Cindy Jones take the Moon on a family trip to Florida
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Island Moon
July 16, 2015