FFA Successful In Dairy Contests Page 5-B
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Ladybirds Fall In Regional Quarterfinals Page 1-B
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Primary update
Copyright ® 2014
Volume 129 Number 99 • Saturday, February 22, 2014
Voting traffic light at polls, but officials expect more By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com
About 120 voters per day are casting early ballots in March primary elections. As of Friday morning, 313 ballots had been cast in the Republican primary and 48 on the Democratic ticket. That’s through three full days of early voting. Of that total, 181 Republican and 16 Democratic votes had been cast in El Campo and 132 GOP and 32 Democratic in Wharton. “It’s quite a bit slower than I anticipated, but I think it will pick up next week,” Wharton County Elections Administrator Audrey Wessels said Friday. A large number of sample ballots have been picked up, she said, adding, “I think people are still trying to make their selections.” Early voting continues through Friday, Feb. 28 at either the El Campo library, 200 W. Church, or the Wharton County Annex D, 315 E. Milam in Wharton. Monday through Wednesday those early polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursday and Friday, however, voters can cast early ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Anyone wanting to vote must (See VOTING, Page 7-A)
INSIDE: VIEWPOINT......................................Page 4-A OBITUARIES.....................................Page 7-A SPORTS.............................................Page 1-B CHURCH LISTINGS..........................Page 4-B LIFESTYLE.........................................Page 5-B CLASSIFIEDS & REAL ESTATE........Page 7-B
LOCAL WEATHER Saturday
Slight Chance of Showers DAY: 0% HIGH: 73º NIGHT: 20% LOW: 61º
Sunday
Chance of Thunderstorms DAY: 20% HIGH: 77º NIGHT: 20% LOW: 61º
Monday
Chance of Thunderstorms DAY: 20% HIGH: 75º NIGHT: 20% LOW: 63º
Tuesday
Chance of Thunderstorms DAY: 30% HIGH: 79º NIGHT: 0% LOW: 55º Last Week: Avg. High: 75º • Avg. Low: 56º
R ain G auge
Last 7 Days............................... .26 In.
Last 30 Days............................. 1.3 In. Same Time In '13........................ 1.3 In.
Year To Date........................... 2.39 In. Year To Date '13....................... 5.12 In. Data Collected by LCRA at El Campo Memorial Hospital
B urn B an : LIFTED COUNTY’S MEAN KBDI: 312 Burn Ban is put into effect when the mean KBDI reaches or goes above 500.
75¢
Rice farmers plead case for water By JODY LARIMER reporter@leader-news.com
2014
16 Pages, 3 Inserts
A decision on how full upstream Colorado River reservoirs need to be before water can be distributed downstream is still pending and local experts were in Austin Monday to plead their cases. “I have mixed feelings about the whole day,” said Ronald Gertson, a rice farmer and chairman of the Colorado Water Issues Committee, which represents rice farmers. “We did as best we could with such extremely short notice to pull together a meaningful case. Upstream interests presented about 12 and a half hours of testimony, basically claiming the trigger for releasing even small amounts of irrigation water needed to be set at 1.4 million acre feet or about 68 percent full.”
Final Decision Coming From TCEQ Wednesday The proposed order from the Lower Colorado River Authority recommends setting the trigger at 1.1 million acre feet and CWIC is requesting 850,000 acre feet. This trigger signifies at what level Lakes Buchanan and Travis need to be before water can be released downstream if approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. “Their arguments were that 1.4 million acre feet was needed to keep all intakes in the lakes from running dry and to avoid the 1 percent
chance that such a release would drive the lakes below 600,000 acre feet,” Gertson said, adding that 600,000 acre feet is the number that triggers a required 20 percent cutback of firm water users. CWIC provided about 75 minutes of testimony starting at about 7 p.m., Gertson said. In all, about 18 witnesses were present to testify. Most were offered as expert witnesses, but that expertise was questioned on a number of them, Gertson said. “One of our witnesses (Haskell Simon) was denied the opportunity to testify resulting from claims that his testimony was irrelevant,” Gertson said. “Several unsuccessful attempts were made at blocking portions of my testimony. These attempts came primarily from LCRA attorneys. (See FARMERS AWAIT, Page 7-A)
Unstoppable El Campo Voter
Jack Fisk, left, receives his primary election ballot curbside from Early Voting Election Judge Johnny Cisneros. A former state representative for the area, Fisk said nothing was going to stop him from casting a ballot. He encouraged all veterans to make their ways to the polls. At right, Fisk as he campaigned for the state legislature.
Above L-N Photo by Shannon Crabtree
WWII vet, former state rep. Fisk calls for vets to cast votes By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com
Casting a ballot Thursday meant a trip to the El Campo EMS station first, but he still made it to the polls. A former state representative for this area, Jack Fisk wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to cast his vote and have a say in politics at the local, state and national levels. “I’ve voted in every election since ‘46,”
he said with his trademark chuckle and a smile while sitting in a mini-van outside the El Campo Library as rain poured down. Reminiscing about that 1946 vote for Dixiecrat J. Strom Thurmond and the effort it took to be there Thursday afternoon, he waited for his ballot to arrive curbside. “I had to go to the EMS station first,” he said. “They had my driver’s license from when I had to go to the hospital.” (See CURBSIDE VOTER’S, Page 6-A)
EC truck accessories firm market, business grows By JODY LARIMER reporter@leader-news.com
Another North Blue Creek Road warehouse, which has sat lonely and empty for years, has found a new tenant, adding a welcome breath of life to the industrial park. “It’s the perfect location being right across the street from the main plant,” Tough Country President Kurt Pratka said Wednesday. “We are currently renting the building with the intent of purchasing at a later date and moving our entire sales staff to that facility. It has been L-N Photo by Jody Larimer vacant for several years.” The building was formerly occuForging American Values pied by Lerio Containers and then Tough Country worker Francisco “Pancho” Puente does his part to ensure a qualby Crop Production Services. ity bumper. Tough Country recently rented a North Blue Creek Road warehouse For now, the building is being to increase production to meet demand and shorten their delivery times. used as a warehouse facility, al-
lowing Tough Country to increase production to meet demand and to shorten delivery times. “As Tough Country has grown, our need to increase our inventory has also,” Pratka said. “This is our third warehouse which we acquired in late December 2013, and we are already discussing shelving and how to house more product.” Along with their growing truck and UTV (utility terrain vehicle) bumper inventory, Tough Country is also in the process of introducing two new product lines – an electric winch and a line of LED light bars, Pratka said. Tough Country attributes their growth to displaying their products at national trade shows and getting (See TOUGH COUNTRY, Page 8-A)
Page 6-A
El Campo Leader-News • Saturday, February 22, 2014
Top Stories
The
—Curbside voter’s life one of service, politics (Continued from Page 1-A) Clad in warm-ups and a bathrobe, he proudly pointed out his ball cap – one emblazoned with Everyday Heroes, the name of the El Campo nonprofit organization providing area veterans transportation to and from Houston’s Veterans Affairs hospital. “Surely, if an old veteran like me can get out of their sick bed, all the other veterans can get here,” Fisk said. “I strongly urge all veterans to vote - vote Republican.” Fisk, who turns 89 today, had a definite opinion who he was going to vote for and didn’t hesitate at all saying who he’d be voting against as Wharton County elections clerk Johnny Cisneros walked out to the curb and handed him a ballot. “He’s going to vote no matter what,” said Fisk’s caregiver Esther Martinez, as Fisk began looking over the ballot. But then again, bashful never has described Jack Fisk – especially when it comes to voting and politics. L-N File Photo More than 60 years ago, Over There then 25 years old, the 1942 Attached to a medical platoon in General George Patton’s 83rd Louise High School graduate Infantry, Jack Fisk pauses to help a French girl in this undated put his name on the Demophoto. cratic ballot seeking the representative’s post for Wharton and Jackson counties. That er, with no strings attached to vision under General George Patton, his combat service was before a major party shift him.” And he worked hard to started at Normandy Beach in Texas sent ultra-conservathe day after the D-Day invative folks like him scrambling prove it. “Ice water” served two sion and ended in Berlin. to join the Republican party. Through the battles, Fisk, “It cost me 700 some-odd terms in the Texas State dollars to get elected (back House between 1951 and 1955 attached to a medical platoon, serving on collected a Purple Heart, in 1950),” he budget com- Bronze Star, five Battle Stars said. mittees, the and dozens of memories about It took a rules comcowboy hat, mittee, and a six shooter working and a good with agripair of westculture isern boots too. sues. His cam“It was paign photos all Demoshow somecrat at the thing rather time, there mischievous was only about the one Repubman with a lican in the slicked-back SMILING JACK: Jack Fisk House at hair, a thin visits the newspaper in 2011. the time,” Hollywood he said. mustache and While in office, Fisk did a Roy Rogers shirt. weekly radio show and sent And once elected, his proout newsletters to constituclivity for killing the pet bills of other representatives ents – a rarity at the time. In 1954, Fisk decided he earned him the nickname “Ice wanted to be a State Senawater.” tor, but was beat out by Culp His advertisements seeking re-election proclaim, “Jack Krueger, owner of Radio StaFisk is an independent think- tion KULP in El Campo at the time. In 1955 Krueger started the El Campo Leader newspaper - one of the parents of the El Campo Leader-News. After his own political run, Fisk handled other campaigns and worked as a lobbyist while pursuing a career in real estate. Two years ago, he returned to the Texas State House as a representative on the Texas Silver-Haired legislators, a lobbying group for senior citizens’ issues with a well-established track record for getting their concerns addressed. Prior to getting involved in politics, Fisk was one of hundreds of Wharton County men who answered the call to serve during World War II (a fact which kept him from vot1951 Oath Of Office ing in a few of those early to mid 1940s elections, he quickJack Fisk is sworn into serly pointed out). vice in the state house. L-N File Photo With the 83rd Infantry Di-
Special Replacement
Spring Female Sale 25 25 18 12 50 25 30 15 5 30 65 20 10 20 50
F-1 Braford Heifers Pairs & Bred Angus Saturday, F-1 Braford Heifers Pairs & Bred Angus March 8 F-1 Braford Heifers Pairs & Bred Angus F-1 Braford Heifers Pairs & Bred Angus at Noon Black Brangus Heifers Bred Angus Black Brangus Cows (3 yr. old) Pairs & Bred Angus Black Brangus Heifers Pairs & Bred Angus Gray Brahman Heifers (open) Gray Brahman Cows (2nd calf) Hereford F-1 Braford Heifers (open) Black Brangus Heifers Pairs & Bred Angus Brangus Baldy Heifers Pairs & Bred Brangus Baldy Heifers (open) Red Gert Heifers Pairs & Bred Angus Crossbred Cows Pairs & Bred
Hallettsville Livestock Commission Co. Hallettsville, TX
Weekly Sale on Tuesdays at 11 am
Mike Heller: 361-293-4949, David Heller: 979-743-0436 Kim Hagan: 361-293-4720, Mark Hagan: 361-293-8116
times he had to come up often unique solutions under extremely difficult decisions. After returning stateside, he purchased the Louise Drug Store and got his real estate brokers license. By the time politics became an interest, Fisk was a case worker for the county’s anti-tuberculosis association. Wharton County was reporting the highest rates of TB in the state in 1949 and into 1950, Fisk said, adding he was well known for forcing the county hospital to take extremely ill patients. His solution – literally leaving them at the door. Once elected to office, Fisk introduced a bill to create a state TB hospital – which passed and led to facilities in McAllen and Kerrville. In 1963, he was appointed the commanding general of the Texas State Guard – a four star general – a rank no longer available to a guardsman. For decades, he was active in the Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion – at points serving as commander of both organizations. And, always, always keeping a close eye on politics.
Kitchen Store & More
COOKING CLASSES FRIDAY- MARCH 7, 2014 • 5:30-7:30 "NO PRESSURE" ITALIAN CUISINE IN THE PRESSURE COOKER!
MINESTRONE SOUP•CHICKEN CACCIATORE'•PORCINI RISOTTO•CHEESECAKE The class is $40, space is limited so make your reservations early. Enjoy learning something new and eating too! Demos of other products will be done as well.
SATURDAY APRIL 5, 2014 CHINESE COOKING MADE SIMPLE WITH DOROTHY HUANG
CLASS 1: 10 AM TO NOON • CLASS 2: 1-3 PM
Learn how to make Chinese food with Dorothy's easy recipes. Enjoy eating and hands on cooking with Chef Dorothy. Class is $40
110 N. Washington • El Campo , TX • (979) 543-5772
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