TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2017
THE FAYETTE COUNTY La Grange, Texas 78945
Volume 95, Number 42
One Dollar per Copy
Subway Owner Sues City of La Grange
INSIDE
By ANDY BEHLEN
The Fayette County Record
La Grange Subway owner Tom Hudson filed a lawsuit in district court earlier this month against the City of La Grange. Hudson is seeking a permanent injunction against further enforcement of the City’s sign or-
dinance. Local attorney Jeff Heintschel represents Hudson and his company, Jator, Inc. A petition in the suit was filed March 10. The lawsuit is the latest exchange in a year-long fight between Hudson and the city over an electronic sign he erect-
ed at the business in early 2016. The city issued him a citation for allegedly violating the sign ordinance on March 16, 2016. That case was later dismissed in municipal court. The city issued him another citation on Dec. 2, which is now pending in municipal court.
Our 84-page special section is free inside today before it hits racks around the region, state.
By LARRY JACKSON
The Fayette County Record
With new businesses opening and new buildings going up, La Grange’s economy is just about to make up for the losses when oil and gas dried up. For the first three months of 2017, La Grange is almost exactly even in sales tax revenue
FOR THE RECORD Young Farmers
The Schulenburg Young Farmers will hold their monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Schulenburg Expo Building. The program will be on Wildlife Management and requirements. Frank Wick is the program chair and the program is open to members and the public.
Lenten Service
The First Presbyterian Church of La Grange would like to invite all people interested in attending their Wednesday Lenten Service to be held at the church at 205 S. Franklin in La Grange at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29. Come worship and enjoy the scripture readings that will be sung by Lisa Muras and Kate Holman as we prepare for Easter.
Spring Festival
The Sacred Heart Annual Spring Festival will be held Sunday, April 9 at the La Grange Knights of Columbus Hall. A barbecue pork and sausage dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Adult plates are $10. Adult to-go plates will be available inside. Live auction will begin at 12:30 p.m. Ken Brothers will perform from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hamburgers will be servied by SHOCK at 2 p.m. There’s more For the Record on Page A2 & D4
WEATHER WATCH Low 71
ordinance is “unreasonable, unenforceable and unconstitutional,” along with attorney fees and court costs. The La Grange City Council was scheduled to discuss the lawsuit during an executive session of the regular council meeting on Monday, March 27.
with the same period a year ago. And all five other towns in Fayette County are actually ahead of last year. The greatest growth, in terms of percentage, has occurred in Flatonia, whose revenue is up 11.9 percent from the first quarter of 2016. See Sales Tax, back page
Local Sales Tax Revenues
First Three Months of Year (Jan.-March) Fayette County Cities 2016 504,504 182,162 81,674 37,162 18,336 19,089
2015 597,226 162,042 69,739 38,130 18,004 20,006
2014 538,905 150,348 98,093 31,085 15,517 17,621
Pct. Change 2016 to ’17 Down 0.0% Up 3.3% Up 11.9% Up 9.0% Up 11.1% Up 0.2%
Other Area Cities Bastrop 1.50% 1,673,824 1,636,826 Brenham 1.50% 1,627,922 1,576,052 Lockhart 1.50% 583,184 546,523 Gonzales 1.50% 542,993 566,148 Sealy 1.50% 533,945 525,852 Elgin 1.50% 490,625 458,479 Giddings 1.50% 423,908 490,162 Hempstead 2.00% 401,873 393,498 Columbus 1.50% 384,180 355,319 Hallettsville 2.00% 327,189 307,657 Yoakum 2.00% 319,162 375,380 Luling 1.50% 305,579 319,866 Caldwell 1.50% 277,444 311,443 Bellville 1.50% 174,337 181,020 Weimar 1.50% 174,273 168,600 Smithville 1.50% 139,670 124,672 Shiner 1.00% 78,098 107,936 Eagle Lake 1.00% 70,566 68,449
1,535,790 1,575,931 534,668 757,234 481,096 454,140 505,415 371,637 351,094 294,403 518,393 433,642 391,492 212,351 143,153 117,194 134,107 64,404
1,266,841 1,451,187 512,661 651,816 469,705 359,083 459,814 329,621 325,812 307,462 310,677 423,064 615,605 188,223 122,706 107,912 77,196 62,338
Up 2.2% Up 3.3% Up 6.7% Down 4.1% Up 1.5% Up 7.0% Down 13.5% Up 2.1% Up 8.1% Up 6.3% Down 14.9% Down 4.4% Down 10.9% Down 3.7% Up 3.3% Up 12.0% Down 27.6% Up 3.0%
2015 928,226 658,045 513,609 410,082 377,912 932,244 430,012 483,310 429,447
2014 784,965 617,628 475,305 386,500 322,282 1,034,147 298,860 433,430 336,807
1 yr change Up 5.5% Up 4.0% Down 1.9% Up 4.8% Up 7.0% Down 11.8% Up 5.2% Up 10.1% Up 6.8%
Tax Rate 2017 La Grange 1.50% 504,418 Schulenburg 1.50% 188,213 Flatonia 1.50% 91,394 Round Top 1.50% 40,536 Fayetteville 1.50% 20,385 Carmine 1.50% 19,137
Pizza Fundraiser
Sacred Heart Catholic School will be hosting a Papa John’s Pizza Fundraiser on Wednesday, March 29 in the school parking lot at 545 E. Pearl St. in La Grange. A free will donation bake sale will be held in conjunction with the pizza sale. Call (979) 968-3223 to place your pre-orders.
The lawsuit argues that the sign ordinance violates Hudson’s rights to due process and free speech. The suit also argues that the city has not applied the ordinance equally. Besides the permanent injunction, Hudson seeks a declaration from the court that the
Economy: New Businesses Making Up for Oil Losses
Spring/Summer Visitors Guide
This Week’s Forecast High Tuesday: 86 Partly cloudy Wednesday: 81 75% chance of rain Thursday: 80 Clear Friday: 85 Clear
RECORD
This quilt called “On the Wings of a Dream” by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry is one of the new exhibits going on display at La Grange’s Texas Quilt Museum starting Thursday.
Two New Spring Exhibits Debut at LG’s Texas Quilt Museum Thursday There’s Free Admission in Advance of Special Lecture Saturday This spring, the Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange debuts two new exhibits: one that celebrates the still-unfolding career of a quilting icon, and one that’s a little “spicy.” Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry: 40 Years of Light, Color, and Motion and Along the Spice Route will be on display from March 30-June 25. Fallert-Gentry will give a free lecture on April 1 at 3 p.m. Museum admission will be free beginning at 2 p.m. Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry is one of contemporary quilting’s true superstars. As an artist, teacher, author, and designer, her distinctive visual style and innovative quilts have enthralled quilt lovers since 1976. She is known internationally for her unique artwork, which has won top prizes in major competitions. Her teaching has taken her to 11 countries on five continents. Other honors include having a piece named one of “The
20th Century’s 100 Best American Quilts” (Corona #2: Solar Eclipse), and receiving the International Quilt Festival’s lifetime achievement Silver Star Award. Fallert-Gentry’s geometric color studies and curved-seam abstracts are inspired by visual impressions she has collected in her travels, everyday life, and her very inventive imagination. This exhibit gathers many quilts from over the decades. “I first saw Caryl’s work in the 1990s, and each decade has renewed my amazement in her accomplishments,” notes Museum Curator Dr. Sandra Sider. “And her works have such a joyful energy.” The exhibit is partially sponsored by Gene Reynolds & Associates. Along the Spice Route, which is curated by Ann Reardon and Paula Golden, features art quilts on the theme of spices, celebrating the marvelous flavors that make our food interesting and appetizing. As visitors to
the Museum will learn, many of these spices have also been used for other purposes—including “curing” baldness, reducing indigestion, acting as antibacterial agents, and to ward off evil spirits. In addition to depicting the spices themselves as both seeds and flowers, quilts in Along the Spice Route offer a glimpse into spice markets, shipping routes, and caravan trails. Accompanied by a map of the Spice Route, this exhibition is a journey of the mind to distant lands and into the past. “From the Taj Mahal to a desert caravan, this exhibit showcases the exotic colors and flavors of the East, from the Holy Land to China, in a fascinating variety of materials and techniques,” Dr. Sider offers. The Texas Quilt Museum is located at 140 W. Colorado St., La Grange, TX 78945. It is open Thurs.-Sat. from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and on Sun. from Noon-4 p.m.
County Governments 2017 Bastrop 0.50% 1,026,461 Washington 0.50% 666,311 Fayette 0.50% 431,959 Caldwell 0.50% 416,727 Austin 0.50% 399,285 Gonzales 0.50% 371,634 Colorado 0.50% 339,739 Lee 0.50% 346,330 Burleson 0.50% 288,382
2016 972,825 640,735 440,719 397,647 373,019 421,455 322,955 314,579 269,832
Source: State Comptroller’s Office
Fayette Savings Breaks Ground On New Flatonia Branch Office By ANDY BEHLEN The Fayette County Record
Work began this week on the new Fayette Savings branch office in Flatonia. Bank president David Zapalac told the Record on Friday that the new location
should open sometime this fall. Cutright and Allen Architects of La Grange designed the new building. Gaeke Construction of Giddings is the general contractor. The current Fayette See Bank, back page
A construction crew began ground work this week at the site of the future Fayette Savings branch location in Flatonia, located at the intersection of FM 609 and E. 7th Street. Photo by Andy Behlen
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A Life Saved on the Bus Route and Other Memories by Eugene Winkler By H.H. HOWZE The Fayette County Record
Burn Ban Is Lifted This newspaper is recyclable. Do your part to protect our future. Copyright 2017, The Fayette County Record, Inc.
For ten years during his career with La Grange ISD, Eugene Winkler combined teaching with driving a school bus. Winkler, who is now 85 and lives in La Grange with his wife Faye, recently sat down with an FCR reporter and family members to recall some incidents from that time. When a student had to cross a road after exiting the bus, Winkler would get out with a red flag to warn oncoming traffic. One day an oncoming driver lost control of his vehicle and
Eugene Winkler as he looked during his army days, left, and as he looks now.
swerved close to the front of the bus. Winkler grabbed the child who was waiting to cross and pulled him out of harm’s way,
but it was a close call for both of them. “The car ended up in the bar ditch,” he recalled. “I’ve thought
about that incident a lot. What made me pick up that kid by the arms and take him around the bus? The Good Lord was with
us.” He began driving a school bus in 1956 when he was teaching math and science in junior high school. In 1966, when he moved to a position teaching distributive education at the high school, there was a Texas Education Agency rule that distributive education teachers could not drive school buses – “And I was glad,” Winkler said, “driving a bus was a headache.” “I went from a nine-month contract to a ten-month contract and that meant I didn’t need the bus driving salary,” he recalled. See Winkler, back page