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Morning Coffee with Valeri
Things Change and It’s Okay When I heard the news of the Notre Dame Cathedral being on fire, I was no less shocked than if someone had told me I was on fire. “Our Lady of Paris” has been on my bucket list to see for many decades, and to hear it most likely would not be in existence in a short amount of time left me in a state of true mourning. Realistically, I knew they would repair, rebuild and renovate, but to me it wouldn’t be the same thing. It wouldn’t be the original. And then I did some research. The construction of the cathedral began in 1163 and wasn’t even completed until 1345. Now, that’s a long time and I’m sure very little of the “original” remained after 182 years. And in the 1790s, the French Revolution brought her desecration and much of the religious imagery was destroyed. And there was also a major renovation in the 1860s which is actually when they added the spire. My epiphany at that point - things change, and it’s okay. They can still be good. I remember way back when we converted from our old accounting system (MSSI) to Quickbooks. I didn’t like MSSI, but I certainly didn’t want to change things as I already knew how MSSI worked and could work proficiently within that system. I was reassured over and over that the new system would be better and allow me to work more efficiently and effectively, and it would be bridging a gap between the advertising and bookkeeping worlds. I was very skeptical. I just knew it would See MORNING COFFEE Page 3
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April 2019 | Issue 4, Volumn 28 SEE INSIDE!
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FOR THE SEASON MORNING COFFEE WITH VALERI................................................1 Table of Contents....................................................................2 Employee Anniversaries..........................................................3 Top Bookkeepers.....................................................................3 ONE TEAM...............................................................................4 TPA.........................................................................................5 Question of the Month.............................................................6 Birthdays..............................................................................22
ONE TEAM
THE RUNDOWN Anahuac Progress....................................................................8 Bandera Bulletin.....................................................................9 DAYNA HAYNES. SCREENWRITER............................................. 10 Boerne Star........................................................................... 12 Colorado County Citizen........................................................ 14 Elgin Courier......................................................................... 16 Liberty Vindicator.................................................................. 18 Navasota Examiner............................................................... 18 Taylor Press..........................................................................21 Granite Publications..............................................................23 Granite Printing....................................................................26 DIRECTORY............................................................................28
Four gridiron players named All-State
Remember to thank a Veteran n and Serviceman every day!
SPORTS, 8
$1.00 Vol. 161, No. 52
coloradocountycitizen.com
FAIR AT 40
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
BANKFULL
30
FLOOD
34
STAGE
14.53
Stock up early
FLOW
4752
BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ
1B
25 states to do so. The sale of liquor in Texas on Christmas Day has been banned since 1967. Staff at area liquor stores are encouraging local residents who
a favorite cocktail may wish to stock up prior to the holiday, as liquor can’t be sold in Texas package stores on New Year’s Day, thanks to a law passed by the Texas Legislature in 1979. Texas also bans the sale of liquor on Christmas Day—one of
vince@coloradocountycitizen.com
Levels are as of 3:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, 2018
Those wishing to celebrate the New Year’s Day holiday with
AREA LIQUOR STORE NEW YEAR’S EVE HOURS COLUMBUS: The Vintage Shop: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. WEIMAR: Main Package Store: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. EAGLE LAKE: Liquor Barn: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
■ NYE, 7
TOP TWENTY OF
COMING EVENTS
Colorado County Fair has rich history
24 pages, 4 inserts
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Want liquor on New Year’s?
COLORADO RIVER at Columbus
MLK Day celebrations set in Columbus
The date of the 2019 Martin Luther King Day March has been set in Columbus, 6.
BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com
« COLORADO COUNTY – From humble beginnings, the Colorado County Fair has grown significantly. The annual fair, since its beginning, has included a fair parade, home economics exhibits, agriculture and livestock shows, and more. In later years, a rodeo was added, which became a permanent fixture once the fair moved to its current home in 2000. Each year’s fair has also included a fair queen and fair membership queen, and junior royalty including a junior miss, and little miss and mister. For a complete history of the Colorado County Fair, see page A1.
11. Etta Moten Barnett Honored 1. Fighting For Our Water 2. Case Beken Gives Us Hope, Leaves A Legacy 12. Area Schools Move To Turf Fields 13. Magnolia Days Survives Another Day 3. Colorado Materials Comes And Goes 14. County Gets Two New Athletic Directors 4. Uproar in Eagle Lake 15. School Threats & Safety 5. Water Improvements Take Center Stage 16. Columbus Boys & Girls Club Gets New Home 6. Discord in Oakland 7. Weimar Grapples With Manufactured Homes 17. Cities Grapple With Mental Transport Changes 18. Weimar Puts Reins On Horses 8. Rice CISD Passes A Bond 19. Election 2018 in Colorado County 9. Weimar Works For Affordable Housing 20. Gambling raids in Garwood and Eagle Lake 10. Beason’s Park Reopens
AROUND THE COUNTY
� � � � � � � � �
BGC Shops with cops
1. TThe entertainment pavilion was packed in 2010 to hear head-1. lliline ine ne Kyle Park. 2. TThree young fair patrons clown around with their balloon cre2. e-e aations at tio ion while checking out the western art displays at an early 2000s 0s 0s fair. fa air ir. ir. 1989 3. 1 3. 98 9 8 Go-Texan quilt winner in the creative homemaking department, Madeline Hattermann, Weimar. de d ep paar 4.. TTodd 4 od d Heger, center, exhibited the 2010 Grand Champion mp piion n Market Ma M arkk Lamb, purchased by HEB of Columbus. Pictured tu ured re ed arre are, e,, from left, Junior Fair Queen Anna Kate Hrachovy, ovy vy, buyer b bu uy Liz Cardenas, Mary Kate Heger, buyer Steven TheThe Th e-iss, is ss, s, Heger, fair membership queen Savannah Konvicka, ckkaa,, aand an n fair queen Shelby Hoelscher. 5. 5. The Belly Up Cookers barbecue team enjoy a game of washer pitching while their meat smokess g on the pit. 6. Members of the Texas National Guard Unit stationed in Columbus when Columbus had a National Naati N tio Guard Armory raise the flag for the opening at the 1985 Colorado County Fair. ing ceremonies in ce ere remo mo 7. 7. Stephanie Ste ep ph haan ni Simmons Rainosek, left, and Emily Frank, ni right, place rriig gh ht, t, p lacce la lace e address labels on the official 1987 fair programs. prro pro p og grraams ms. Th TThe h early fair programs were distributed by direct ectt mail, newspapers m but, in more recent years, have been inserted in county ty n ne ewspa wsp ws paape pers rs the th week prior to the fair. th 8. A contestant gets ready to ride a bull during the 1997 Colorado 8. llo orraado o County Fair Rodeo. Co C o 9.. JJoe Potter, the only commercial exhibitor of the Colo9 rado rra ad County Fair to have exhibited continuously since the earliest days of the fair, shows off the award given to him by ea e arl rl commercial exhibit chair Gail Gertson for 35 years of conseccco om utive ut utiv tiv ive years of exhibiting at the fair. He will have his dog houses display at the 2018 fair. on d on iiss 10. 10 1 0. A ffair patron admires entries in the photography contest at one e of the 2010s fairs, one of the fair’s most popular exhibits. 11. cers 11 1 1. Offi Officce e and directors of the Colorado County Fair priorr 1985 tto o tthe he h e1 9 fair parade are, left to right, board president sid de en nt off T.J. T. T.J. J. SSmith mit of Eagle Lake, directors Patsy Warschak mi hakk o FFrelsburg, Fr rel elssb bu Pamela Potter of Columbus, and Randa an nd da Simmons SSi imm mmo of Columbus. Smith served as president de d en ntt of of the th he e fair for five years from 1983-1987.
The Boys & Girls Club of Champion Valley’s Columbus Club recently got to shop with a cop, 15. January Januar Jan uary y3 30, 0, 2019 A Spec pecial ial Se Secti ion F rom Special Section From
2018 RECAP BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ
beleaguered with three major floods in the span of three years. Case Beken, the young Weimar man who battled brain cancer and made it to the Colorado County Fair to see his steer, Casper, named Grand Champion, also offered county residents a glimpse of renewing hope. Those were just a few of the major stories from 2018. Here is a recap of the top 20 stories of the year in Colorado County for 2018, as compiled by our staff.
local officials stood up (for the second time in two decades) to defend the county’s groundwater supply from a hazardous waste, and that two cities continued to grapple with water quality issues. Too, 2018 was a year of renewal and hope for the county, which suffered devastating flooding in September 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. In 2018, Columbus showed it had recovered with a better-than-ever Magnolia Days Festival, which served as a coming-out-party of sorts for the city that was
vince@coloradocountycitizen.com
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a twopart series wrapping up 2018 that will appear in The Colorado County Citizen. Next week, we will announce our Newsmakers of the Year for 2018. n the annals of history, 2018 will go down as an important year for Colorado County. Water features prominently in the top 20 stories of this year: 2018 was the year
I
A month-by-month look back at the news of 2018, 20.
HEALTH
■ TOP 20, 21
A LOOK BACK
The crowning of Mr. and Mrs. CHS and snow in Eagle Lake top this week’s look back at Colorado County history, 3.
BY BOB LOWE
School for grades one through seven, and then Bernardo School for the eighth grade. Next, he attended Columbus High School, but dropped out before the summer of 1944. Sidney turned 18 as World War II was at its peak and all eligible young men were needed for the war effort. He joined the Navy rather than waiting to be drafted. In late 1944, Sidney was sent to Boise, Id., for 7 weeks
Special To The Citizen
A Look Back ...............................................3 Amusements ...........................................15 Applause ...................................................5 Around The County ....................................6 Church Page ............................................17 Classifieds ...............................................22 Sports ................................................. 8-10 Obituaries .................................................2 Police & Courts .................................. 16-17 Viewpoints ...............................................4
Proudly supporting the
Co l o rado Co u n t y Fair! Rod & Amy Adkins
Sidney aboard LCIR 1069.
Sidney Frey was the only child born to Peter and Illian Frey of Colorado County, in their farmhouse, in 1925. Their farm was located just north of today’s Interstate 10 and less than a mile east of FM 949. During his youth, Sidney helped his mother and dad grow cotton, corn, peanuts, and raise cattle. He attended Mentz
for his basic training. After a leave to visit home, he was ordered to Solomon, MD, where he was assigned to a landing craft infantry ship, (LCI 1069). Solomon was located near the Chesapeake Bay and noted for its shipyards where Naval ships were built and amphibious invasion forces were trained. His LCI was 150 feet long and manned by a crew of 34 sailors.
■ FREY, 7
WINDSHIELD XPRESS
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Sports
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Early games of the season Offenses of that era consisted of the simple T-formation and the infamous “three yards and a cloud of dust.” Your down linemen opened holes between the tackles, and you sent your best back up the middle over and over until you scored. The first week in September was always the most exciting be-
SERVING EASTERN WILLIAMSON COUNTY SINCE 1913
Dec. 5, 2018
June 12, 1924 – November 30, 2018 U.S. National Archives photo
BY NICOLE SHUPE Examiner editor
I
FIVE DAY FORECAST Precip Low Hi 0% 59° 90° 0% 48° 80° 0% 58° 77° 100% 47° 70° 10% 58° 76° $1.00
See SQUARE • page 2A
vol. 106 issue 29
TAYLOR STANDS THE RAIN
See CLEAN • page 2A
Courtesy photos
cause it was the c first week of school f and a the first week of football. Elgin caught E caug a hapless Smithville team in that first game and d sailed to a 66-0 win. Next week Round Rock fell to Elgin 26-0. The next week Georgetown proved to be a little tougher and Elgin only won 14-0. During three games and Elgin had scored 106 points. Opponents zero. It didn’t take long for the devil to jump up that season. In the next game, Caldwell soundly defeated Elgin 21-0 and then along came Taylor who pounded Elgin 24-8. Elgin’s upward spiraling rocket See 1958, Page 6B
Hotel update to council JASON HENNINGTON
news@taylorpress.net
ELGIN WILDCATS 1958 roster
DEFENSE Down linemen: Arthur Henze, Gayland Josephson, Byron Lax, Phillip Villarreal and Hermes Payne Linebackers: Oscar Sanchez, Willie Ray Smith, Harry Krenek and Danny Acosta
On Thursday, the Taylor City Council is expected to receive another update on the status of the Holiday Inn Express being built just west of H-E-B on Carlos Parker Loop NW. At the March 28 meeting, the council received an update on construction milestones and was introduced to Wildflower Hotels LLC, who See HOTEL • page 2A
BY CONNIE CLEMENTS Examiner reporter
wish of the late N.T. Price of Bedias came true when the Scrap Iron Ranch was recognized for 100 years of continuous agriculture
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JASON HENNINGTON
news@taylorpress.net
On Saturday, Taylor was drenched and many areas were left underwater after thunderstorms hit Williamson County. Taylor was one of the hardest hit areas in the county with just over 7 inches of rain, more j than the Memorial Day floods in 2015. According to John Taylor, local weather observer, 5.92 inches of rain fell Saturday and 1.35 inches fell Sunday, bringing the total to 7.27 inches. He said the rain occurred in less than five hours.
CITY SEEKS TO HELP After the heavy rain Saturday, April 6, the city of Taylor is working to help residents who were affected by flooding. Residents who experienced flooding in their homes during the rain fall of April 6, are asked to send photos to the city, which will be turned over to the drainage engineers for further study. Photos can be emailed to jim.gray@taylortx.gov or pio@taylortx.gov. Remember to include the street address of the home where the flooding occurred.
Multiple places hit by lightning Saturday JASON HENNINGTON
news@taylorpress.net
On Saturday, April 6, lightning struck more than one building in Taylor during a storm that brought more than 7 inches of rain. At least three places were hit by lightning during the storm. Fire Chief Pat Ekiss said one of the lightning strikes caused a fire that was difficult to fight. According to reports, around 1:30 p.m., firefighters received a call for a lightning strike to a house in the 1100 block of Fischer St. Taylor police arrived on the scene first and saw smoke coming from the attic. Ekiss said it was a working fire and additional crews from Round Rock,
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Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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Horoscopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15-16 The Beat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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See RAIN • page 2A
JASON HENNINGTON
news@taylorpress.net
See FIRE • page 2A ROADS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING SATURDAY, APRIL 6 • T.H. Johnson Dr. and North Dr. • 1100 block Mallard Ln. • 2100 block W Lake Dr. • Davis St. and N Lynn St. • Old Thorndale Rd. and Porter St. • 800 block E Third St. • 900 block S Rio Grande St.
Schmidt Insurance Agency A hometown tradition of honesty & trust
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State Capitol where Price’s son, Troy, and wife, Virginia, were presented a
Crossword Focusing on inner/spiritual wellness and self condence
Taylor police and firefighters were all over Saturday working to keep citizens safe during the storms that dumped 7.72 inches of rain on Taylor. Extra police officers were called to come in and help when roads were closed due to flooding. According to Commander Joseph Branson, the street closures were opene by 6 p.m. Saturday. “We’re grateful it wasn’t a prolonged event,” he said. During Saturday’s heavy rain, several streets flooded and the fire department adjusted to address any issues that arose. “When events like this occur, of course it would tax any department, but with a department the size of Taylor’s and the call volume Taylor received, frequently our firefighters are handling multiple calls,” Taylor Fire Chief Pat Ekiss explained. “We then rely upon mutual aid partners to come in and assist us.”
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production. The event was the Texas Department of Agriculture’s 43rd annual Family Land Heritage (FLH) ceremony at the
2017 Small Business Index of the Year for PERSONAL WELLNESS Grimes County!
and had allegedly made threatening comments that were then relayed to the police department through a fifth party. Greenmun was located and detained by local law enforcement prior to appearing on school grounds and admitted to investigators that he had made the threats and was the only person involved in the threat. Navasota ISD Superintendent Dr. Stu Musick indicated that multiple avenues were used to warn authorities, including an anonymous social media message to the district that helped aid authorities in locating the suspect.
Fire, police cover the city during heavy rain
Pflugerville and Hutto were called in to help. “Anytime we have a lightning strike it’s labor intensive,” Ekiss said. “It was a difficult time locating the seat of the fire and then making sure it was out.” He said the fire was under control in 20 to 30 minutes, but officers were on scene a little longer just to rule the fire was extinguished. During the storm, a call came in for a lightning strike that hit Taco Bell on Main St. and another home in the 2100 block of Old Thorndale Road. Round Rock Fire Department, who was in town to help cover and handle those calls. Ekiss said there were no injuries during any of the fires Saturday.
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“In the 20 years I’ve been keeping records out here, that’s pretty close to the highest calendar day total that I’ve ever recorded,” he said. “It’s a rare event, but it does occur every few years.” The highest prior to Saturday was 5.5 inches during the Memorial Day floods in 2015. Mr. Taylor said there was more rain this weekend than during the flood, but the conditions helped prevent heavy flooding.
HEALTHY LIVING Devoted to physical/ medical well-being
Joseph Greenmun, 17, was arrested Thursday, Nov. 29, for a terroristic threat after the Navasota Police DeGreenmun partment received a report that he had made comments that there would be a “bad day” for Navasota High School. According to authorities, Greenmun is a student at Navasota High School
2019
Price 100-year ranch legacy honored in Austin On Oct. 30, 2018, a
JASON HENNINGTON
See CANDIDATE • page 2A
Succeed in Examiner photos by Connie Clements
ll overflows 2 015 flood nfa
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
BY MATTHEW YBARRA Senior news reporter
Grimes County residents came ‘Home for the Holidays’ during the annual shopping and holiday extravaganza Saturday, Dec . 1 . The city hosted the lighted Christmas parade with Santa and a community tree lighting to finish off the day. For more pictures of the event, go to page 10-11 .
Taylor overflowed with rain Saturday, which caused flooding in many areas of the city. Several streets were closed due the rain and parks were filled with water. Community members spotted a dumpster that was washed away in the storm. Thank you to the readers of the Taylor Press for submitting photos from the storm. All photos are available at www.taylorpress. net.
elected to the 7th District of Texas for the United States House of Representatives in 1966 and would serve two terms. From there, he would hold numerous positions within government, including United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 1971-193, Chief of the United States Liaison Office in the People’s Republic of China in 1974 and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1976, before serving as the U.S. Vice President under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989. He was elected as the 41st President of the United States of America in 1989 and served a four-year term. “Few Americans will ever rival the depth and breadth of service to our country exhibited by George H.W. Bush,” said Brady. “He was a courageous war hero, key member of the Committee on Ways and Means while serving in Congress, twice an Ambassador, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Vice President for eight years, and finally President of the United States.”
NHS student arrested for school threat
Resolve to
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The candidates for the District 1 city counBRINKMEYER ANDERSON cil seat had an opportunity to speak to citizens Monday night during a public forum. The event, hosted by
The caption Courier read:in the December 4, Lyda discuss Harry “The Horse” 1958, issue of the Elgin the finer Krenek and points of ball handling. Coach Jim
A Life of Service
President Bush was born June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, to former Senator Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush, and spent his 94 years of life in service to his country. After the Dec. 7, 1942, attack on Pearl Harbor, George H.W. Bush enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve on his 18th birthday. Originally, assigned to a torpedo squadron as a photographic officer, Bush would become one of the youngest aviators in the U.S. Navy during World War II, logging 1,228
hours of flight time, 126 carrier landings and 58 combat missions. He was awarded the United States Navy Air Medal with two gold stars and the Flying Cross for bravery in action. A man of bravery, but also a man who embodied love of life and his fellow man, Bush would marry his “great love and best friend,” Barbara Pierce Bush after meeting at a Christmas dance. They spent 73 years together, before her passing in April 2018; their love affair was the longest presidential marriage in the history of the United States and has produced many descendants who have served the country with the same dedication as President Bush, including former President George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States. “I believe he would say his favorite title was husband to his beloved Barbara, and greatest accomplishment was in raising children who serve their nation with equal dedication and patriotism,” said Brady. After completing a degree in economics from Yale University n 1948, Bush and his family moved to Texas, where he began a life in the oil and gas industry. He was
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It is not too late to sign up to help during the Taylor Neighborhood Cleanup event scheduled for this Saturday, April 13. Residents are encouraged to join other community members and help clean up Taylor from 8 a.m. to noon. The areas for cleanup are Pecan Street, Dickey Street,
The 1958 Wildcat season Coach James Lyda That year there was a hawk with a dark crew cut and black sunglasses circling that field, watching everybody and everything. He was Coach James Lyda in his first year as a head coach. He was all over that field and right next to you when you made a fundamental mistake. From the start his style was not to embarrass or ridicule his players, but to correct, counsel in a low-key manner, and encourage that player to do better, to be his best. He always followed his brief corrections with a sound slap on the shoulder pads and his favorite motivating phrase, “Be a Wildcat!” In no time, he had his players believing in themselvess and each other. “Roll the wheel! Roll thee wheel!” was another of Coach Lyyda’s favorite phrases while workking on the defense. He had a thing for defense and wanted everyone rotating in a circular motion toward the ball on every play.
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Against all odds This story is about a football team that turned the whole town into a community of one as it pursued a virtually impossible, once in a lifetime, dream all the way to the top. A dreamlike season that was achieved on nothing but pure inspiration and determination. It is the story about the 1958 Elgin High School Wildcats. It was two weeks before school started for the 1958-59 school year, and in the dead of the Texas heat in August, the Elgin football field was clustered with white clad uniformed players. The old drab, worn-out jerseys and pants the players were issued were the very same ones worn by previous football teams in practice over the years – so were the smelly shoulder pads and helmets the players were issued on those first hot days. Although the practices were held late in the evening, it was still August and the heat and humidity were still there at that hour. But practice they did because the first game was only two weeks away. About half of those white jerseyed players on that field wore red vests over the jerseys. Some of those vests were so old and torn they looked like red strips of cloth. The B-teamers usually wore the red vests in practices against the varsity and they were simply warm, moving bodies for the varsity to beat up on. sysn. This had always been the sys tem football. m in small-town football otball.
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Heritage Square grand opening
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The Navasota Examiner — Since 1894 — www.navasotaexaminer.com VOL. 126 No. 49
The city of Taylor will hold a dedication and grand opening for the newly renovated Heritage Square at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 12.The ceremony will include an introduction by Interim City Manager Jeffery Jenkins, a dedication from Mayor Brandt Rydell, remarks by Russ Boles, Williamson County Commissioner, Precinct 4, and a ribbon
Elgin Stories
By Ray Limas
PP
PATSCHKE & PATSCHKE
Smithville football earns all-district honors
By Linda Bauer
Congratulations to Smithville High School and its football players who earned all-district honors! DEFENSIVE NEWCOMER: Armante Chase, #5. OFFENSIVE 1ST TEAM: Quarterback Lane Otto, #9; Running Back Bryce Drisdale, #16; Receiver Kirt Hawkins, #6; Receiver Tardrick Fowler, #23, and Center Cody Cyr, #75. OFFENSIVE 2ND TEAM: Cam Juarez, #34, and Offensive Tackle Peyton Williamson, #50. OFFENSIVE HONORABLE MENTION: Wide Receiver Clay Padgett, #24. DEFENSIVE 1ST TEAM: Outside Linebacker Bryce Drisdale, #16; Cornerback Reggie Carter, #5; Free Safety Kirt Hawkins, #6. DEFENSIVE 2ND TEAM: Defensive Tackle Tray Crosson, #55; Defensive End Cam Juarez, #34; Inside Linebacker Chris Sanders, #18; and Inside Linebacker Jacob Bandera, #22. DEFENSIVE HONORABLE MENTION: Safety Cyrus Roman, #12. SPECIAL TEAMS: 1st Team Return Specialist Kirt Hawkins, #6; 2nd Team Kicker Gerado Jaimes, #7.
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n a week filled with remembrance for former President George H. W. Bush, Grimes County residents will be paying their respects to the 41st President of the United States Thursday, Dec. 6, as his custom designed Union Pacific 4141 locomotive passes through Navasota on its way to College Station. “Our country, and indeed our state, have lost a man of honor who leaves a legacy of love and service for his nation and his family,” said U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady after Bush’s passing Nov. 30.
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• 1100 block N Main St. • 1500 through 2000 block W Lake Dr. • CR 366 approximately 1/4 mi. north of Carlos Parker Blvd NW • E Fourth St. and Rail Road overpass outside lane eastbound • 12800 block US 79 (W Second St.) westbound lanes All streets were re-opened by 6 p.m.
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Defensive backs: Kenneth Daughtry, Boyd Henry and Gene Henze OFFENSE Down linemen: Danny Joe Rhodes, Arthur Henze, Willie Ray Smith, Byron Lax, Gayland Josephson, Phillip Villarreal and Hermes Payne Quarterback: Eddie Davis Halfbacks: Boyd Henry, Kenneth Daughtry and Gene Henze Fullback: Harry Krenek
Haverland, Jo Romine, Delores House. (L to R): Mary Mascot David 1958 Elgin Cheerleaders Margie Wilson and Lundgren, Carl Cole, Karin Photos from the Elgin Courier/Dec. 4, 1958
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MORNING COFFEE continued from 1
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be terrible and a huge mistake had been made at our expense. Well, I was wrong. It was a vast improvement over the archaic MSSI system. I had a heck of a time convincing the sales rep to use the manifest in place of her run sheet. Many people were skeptical of that switch. But things changed, it was okay and it was good. Not long after switching over to Quickbooks, we ventured to change our circulation system from BMF to Interlink. Again, promises of butterflies and rainbows and I was still skeptical. Again, it surpassed my bleak expectations and made my life even more bearable. Things changed, it was okay and it was better. Having come from some of the “older school” ways of doing things, I knew how to do most things in my location as I was taught. I took care of classifieds from the ground up. I used a system called CAMS which was old even when I inherited it. As all good and bad things must come to an end, my computer with the CAMS program crashed. I had to figure out a new way of doing things on a very tight schedule. I started using a Word document and a note book system that still works wonderfully to this day. I used Quark to build my pages for classifieds each week. This too came to an end and creative services began building pages. Things changed, it was okay and it was much better. I know many of you are going through changes right now, whether at your location or personally. Don’t they say change is the only constant? It’s something close to that anyway. My point is, no matter how impossible things may seem, no matter how stable, instable or bleak the current situation might appear, things WILL change. It WILL be okay. It WILL be good.
1ST Lori Ligues Colorado County Citizen
2ND Gail Schobey Elgin Courier
3RD Sonya Bobo Navasota Examiner
EMPLOYEE ANNIVERSARIES
APRIL ANNIVERSARIES
Brian, Ashley 1 year Taylor Granite Press
Castro, Fernando 11 years Granite Publications
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JUNE ANNIVERSARIES
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Elgin Courier
Marlow, Kim 7 years
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Beaver, Jim 11 years
Granite Publications
Granite Publications
Guiterrez, Phillip 10 years Taylor Granite Printing
Hill, Carolyn 9 years Taylor Press
Ligues, Lori 2 years
Colorado County Citizen
Scurlock, Angela 1 year Elgin Courier
April 2019 Newsletter
3
One Team! Daniel Philhower Granite Publications
Over the past two years, we at the Granite groups have all worked hard towards a better tomorrow. We’ve had some ups, some downs, some pretty difficult challenges and some pretty exciting rewards. It isn’t always easy, but my hope is that in the end, we’re successful at serving our employees and our communities. Two years ago we adopted a new group moto to work and live by: “One Team, One Vision, One Goal.” No matter what paper you work at, you are part of Granite’s “One Team.” We collectively have “One Vision” of setting a strong foundation on which to build for the future. Together our “One Goal” is to improve our Products, strengthen our Culture, and grow our Revenue. It may be a cheesy phrase, but I want all staff in the Granite group to know that we are in this together. In 2018, the newspaper industry saw an increase in paper and aluminum prices due to foreign tariffs, reduced circulations, and cutting of staff. The first quarter of 2019 was a hard one for sure! This wasn’t just the case for Granite, but in other groups statewide. I say this not to be doom and gloom, but to communicate where we’ve been so we can more clearly see where we’re going. In spite of recent industry shortfalls, Granite’s newspaper group was still able to increase revenue and increase our overall same-paper profit margins over 2017. So as “One Team,” we ARE working in the right direction. Keep it up, Team! On a ‘micro’ basis, our team consists of Granite, our eight newspapers and the printing press. On the ‘macro’ basis, the team consists of all local community newspapers and their staff and the community members we serve. Our teams must work together, share ideas and resources, buy ads, read the paper, stay informed, get involved, etc. As one team, micro and macro, we will continue to be successful in the every changing world around us. TM
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Hand’ •Helping determined leadership page A2. to help, Celebration of •Johnson g, page A5. Life inspirin ISD honors •Bandera ing A6. state qualify ts, page studen gs fall to •Lady Bulldo A8. page Boerne, Beautiful •Keep Utopia page A12. award, wins state
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a news release with it,” s Vice PresBan- ed PETA’ quoted ce Analyput on the those who on March 16 re- ident of Eviden as saying Bash Paden that show sis Daniel Bacon Bash. d dera le for violations er the Bacon l wheth sponsib events expose Gov. Ababout the red. ized anima and similar to cruel and were uncove panicked “PETA is urging disgustingly most recogn in the coun- wild hogs when it “Screa ming, tormented bott to end this Greg treatment io press ACK rights group pigs were a bit of abusive Texas Gov. com BY BILL Pulletin. Anton d for PAGE A3 sday, young try urged terminate those held a San nderab SEE PETA, to on Wedne tak- and torture that shouldtbill@ba Abbott fun conference it had down Ethica l April 10, saying an end to crude everyone associa to shut shows. the pts ra for or Attem to bring to hold shame People named Bande Anima ls, en steps and the newly wild hog chas- Treatment of d headlong those events Bacon Bash other events PETA , jumpe debate over and ing event ratcheted up last into the heated the like it got probably week when Ruth C. Edmonds
HAVE YOU FILED YET? FOR YOUR
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PRESS TAYLOR
74
Issue 16
1 Section
.com
Burn Ban OFF
ICES Rice, Columbus meet ERV LATION on diamond.CA S ING.INSU .N ET K .COOL RVICESIR
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I often get asked why I am heading up a newspaper company. I reply simply by reciting the first amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” We work in an industry that is protected under the first amendment of the US Constitution! I’m proud of that, and so should our team! Additionally, our newspapers are historical records. One hundred years from now, my grandchildren are not going to go to FaceBook to learn what was going on in 2019. They’re going to turn to their trusted local newspaper; it will look different, but the foundations will remain. These foundations are getting pictures and names at birth, at death and as many times as possible in between. If we do this simple task in each of our editions, then our papers will continue to stay relevant for years to come. Here at Granite, we have found success at bundling our products and selling contracts to customers that encompass print, web, and social media; all pointing back to our core print product. Doing so ensures our customers reach our entire readership/market. Through these various media, our objective obviously is that our customers receive the most “eye balls” on their ads by providing quality and hyper-local news and information. This isn’t new to newspapers, it just looks differently than it did even 15, 25, 50 years ago. We may be establishing a “new normal” for our industry, but I believe if we stay the course and bear through the valleys and work our plan, then we’ll proudly stand on the peaks together as one team, with one vision, striving for and achieving the same goals.
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y Suppl rW.L. “Pat” Smith roll in The Tracto is on a a Companyhaving opened s Bandera to big crowd store here le reviews and ra and favorab the Bande t won having Developmen0 Economic g for $37,50 Corp. backinassistance over ial and financ hire in to help three years ees and assist ions. train employ Pauline local operat edMoore the other in Taylor approv The EDC the Brentfor incent ives see-based ruTennes giant g wood, e retailin ral lifestyl sday, April 10, a at its Wedne g as part of board meetin agreement. ance perform ent, which ed That agreem be reviewobd needs to
Photo courtesy Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center
Shown here is a photograph in the Henry Steusoff Collection housed at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center on FM 1011 in Liberty, showing the aftermath of a fire that swept through part of downtown Liberty in 1925. Reports of that fire were included in newspapers across the country the first week of August 1925, but the facts seemed to vary from one report to the next. Read more about those reports on Page 7.
Free measles vaccinations available By Casey Stinnett editor@thevindicator.com Liberty Dayton Regional Medical Center
The Vindicator | Kim Marlow
Shown here are Shannon Rasy, spokesperson for LDRMC, and Bill Buchanan of KSHN at the Wednesday morning press conference.
NEWS BRIEFS CHUNKY MONKEY RECALL
SERVING EASTERN WILLIAMSON COUNTY SINCE 1913
JASON HENNINGTON
news@taylorpress.net
Anyone allergic to almonds, Brazil nuts or hazelnuts and thinking of finally giving Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey a try should think again. Unilever, the soap company that owns Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream has issued a voluntary recall of Chunky Monkey in pints and Coconut Seven Layer Bar sold in bulk because the warning labels on back say only “May contain other tree nuts” without specify those three nuts.
Monday night, Taylor ISD named a new athletic director and head football coach, Robert Little. “I need you all to help me spread the word, ‘win state,’” Little said after the announcement. He said the two words are the goal
ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY
Taylor High School is hosting the Shattered Dreams program on Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday April 18. Unique in its design and powerful in its impact, “Shattered Dreams” is an educational experience that reminds us all of the dangers associated with drinking and driving. It reminds us that too many young lives have already been lost and countless others severely impaired because of the tragic consequences of underage drinking and
The Liberty-Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce will celebrate administrative professionals with a luncheon Wednesday, April 24, at Liberty Center “completely underwritten for the fifth year by Magnolia Place Health Care,” says the announcement. Contact the Chamber at 936-336-5736 to obtain tickets and for more information.
SUMMER JOBS
Shattered Dreams scheduled this week
See PROGRAM • page 2A
and will motivate teams to continue to get better. Little is currently the athletic director and head football coach at Riesel ISD, where he served from 2016-2019, and has an overall record of 22-14. During his tenure, he and his staff were able to turn around a program that previously had a 4-25 record over three years. The team finished the 2018 season 10-3 and was a state regional semifinalist. “Coach Little impressed our interview committee with his proven successful experience working with
WEDNESDAY • APRIL 17, 2019
the total program over time, as well as his honesty, loyalty, enthusiasm, work ethic and organizational skills,” said Taylor ISD Superintendent Keith Brown. Little has 27 years of coaching experience working with a diverse population of students. In his 13 years as an athletic director and head football coach, his teams have never missed post-season play. His overall record as a head coach is 100-59 including a 2006 state championship with Chilton.
See TAYLOR ISD • page 2A
ING SE HEAT .K CA IR-REPA
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Tuesday, April 16, 2019.
APPLAUSE
County employees support the Turtle Wing Lions donate Taylor ISD named Robert Little the new Foundation, athletic to Habitat, and more, 5. director and head football coach.
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ARTS & LEISURE
Realism of John Shaffer opens at LOAC, 12.
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who wasVOL. Valarie Neidig, Decemin Ward Juanita to the board ed for the g appointed of resignin runs unoppos Neil Beyer, Mark nis fill the position vacant by and James on. ber to Ralph Glass 4 seat left Brad Jones apply for re-electie in- trustee Pete Bega. the District the Ward 3 who did not face off for for will challeng Hodges Jones will r, unopposed Council left By Julianne Duane F. Shaw 4 trustee Angie runs Elgin City John Altmille courier.com did seat on the District 7 seat to replace for re-election. Thomas, who julianne.hodges@elgin ISD school by Phillip 1 cumbent not apply the Elgin on. Ward is one vacant Har- who did Edmon on for re-electi this spring Penson 5 trustee J.D. not apply Page 5A Mary District Elgin ION, On the ballot unon for the member See ELECT Juan board. for re-electi race each ISD council 2 council member contested kins is running 6 trustee and the Elgin and Ward for re-elecas is District City Council opposed , voting starts are running s Early Denday on Gonzale school board. ed, and Forest with election tion unoppos on April 22, May 4.
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Elgin Courier launches new site By Jim Beaver
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Courier is The Elgin two excitpleased to presentits service: to ing upgrades website and new of our brand digital version e-Edition, a r. our newspape is an exact The e-Edition printed edition replica of the in a popular of the magazine It is the best flipbook format. to access readers way for The e-Edition timely news. nt, deand convenie A collabo is easy email rationright your to of several table inlivered to entities the departm nothing ensured Navasota and there’s ent. Wellma that longtim inbox, the ediFire Departmclick n was e chase wood —just ent download Cpt. David diagnosed with Navasota fireman to begin reading. stage 4 artist Charlie Cooper said and beginthe table. tionLowery visit were in James the plan pancreatic cancer Wellman could Examiner e you to Baylor insisted painted photo Cheerleaders We encourag artwork and on donating thehad already been a month prior to enjoy a cup of coffee by Ana Cosino check tothe High School in the w losing h lumbe the N at a rs, the Elgin d ther Ott lginCourier.com
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Victim iden tified in SH 30 fatality
BY MATT HEW Senior news YBARRA reporter CARLOS — Nathan 65, of Housto Monk, n, has tified as the motorc been idennounced yclist prodecease with a tractor- d in a collisio n trailer April 10, in Carlos. Wednesday, According to Departm Public Safety Troope ent of Morgan, DPS respond r Jimmy ports of ed to a motorc ycle collisioren SEE FATALI TY PAGE 6
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waste disposal held by e 190 the com“Defendants have failed ity sinc pany. The implications of the exmunto adBY VINCE LEIBOWITZ ceptions were not immediately dress these violations com and preIn his order, Jenkins vent further vince@coloradocountycitizen.com g the wrote clear. discharges. Conseerin that the court found quently, Defendants’ Cov evidence to A hearing for to determine violations show Inland had violated, if threaten to render AUSTIN — Just before and the court will convert water in 6 p.m. continued to the TRO in the state threaten to violate, Friday, Judge Scott H. harmful to the public to a temporary injunction Jenkins of state water that health and environment,” laws. the 53rd State District would continue in force Court of The restraining order until a 2019 The filing alleges Travis County granted bars In- trial date sometime Inland’s a request land from l 16, in the future plant not on accepting any waste, Apri 300 ER for, and issued, a occupies inly is set for May 2 in Austin. acres, intemporary • certa TUCK try sky cluding one mile of restraining order prohibiting requires them to immediately And Coun familLENA frontage es way. Hill cease and prevent all and BY E along Skull Creek. Inland Environmental dischargter tar.com 14 pag er. No rends the unique The petition from fur- es, and cease The filing ernes ng, all vessel washout further alleges investigators a flyov ■ Staff Wri ther contaminating Skull $1 r@bo The engines’ honor. Wari AG’s court filing, running witCreek. operations, ce to when a B-25 tucke and required the nessed “16,700 tons elena The lawsuit and request ers, their fice and way overCole, borndo justi more than 100 pages, of materifor company, within set forth als including ne can’t afternoon II fight and sacri ed its Fam four days, to a grim restraining order 4,000 containers was filed contain picture of conditions Photosct spring rt of WW history tacle wing k” Euge of 103.history all waste on the site at (totes and drums) “Dic around 3 p.m. Friday of in Inland, alleging of solid waste in Austin covered an esco sound aerial spec Richard at the age rican which a perfe that waste had and containers to prevent Ame d by 9, by the Texas Attorney an area with an estimated discharged from the General, leaking, and traile the very noon’s d Lt. Col. , April gers and the farm on facility and drain liquid from acting on behalf of in to Skull Creek, and ay after to retire last week stran site of iar pitch the Texas nds at Joint indicated hing Hou the Commission on Environmental all open-air containment basins that levels As Sundin tribute died l 18, ■ SKULL CREEK, -wis gton t rs, near 7 of chemicals Apri who so on well the site. found Quality, the state’s environmensday, date at Arlin it did 7, 1915, hbors, honor Cole in Skull Creek made Charge track mee Thur the fish too The order grants exception the tal regulatory agency. Sept. rict ds, neigered to . dangerous for human be held at a later In wake of contamination ed in l reaching river, for two specific permits consumpat dist ily, frien ts gath last days ce will al will be for tion. LCRA prepares for possible he play of Pear his usias servi litigation, 19 ng role Buri bing enth until orial ile
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Two words: Win State Taylor ISD names new AD
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Gruner nam municipal ed judg BY CONN IE CLEM ENTS Examiner reporter
The Navaso ta
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City Counci conduc ted l special meet-a ing Monda April 15, y, conside r to the appoin tment of a municip al judge, fo
Granite Family at TPA Granite Publications gathered to enjoy dinner on their first night at the 2019 Mid-Winter TPA Conference held in Denton. Pictured are Navasota Publisher Ana Cosino, former Taylor Press Publisher Richard Stone, Granite Publications Accounts Manager Valeri Stair, Creative Services Manager Patti Slavych, Boerne Star Publisher Jeff Parr, Bandera Bookkeeper Fran Fox, Anahuac General Manager/Editor Dayna Haynes, The Vindictor Publisher Jennifer Gray Richardson, former Elgin Publisher Cindye Ginsel, Granite Publications Vice President Daniel Philhower, Colorado County Citizen Publisher Michelle Banse Stokes and Elgin Publisher Jim Beaver. Roy Eaton, president of the Wise County Messenger, and Bob Lloyd Schieffer, television journalists were the speakers on Saturday night. They decided to just sit and talk and share some of their many experiences. Eaton began his journalism career as a part-time reporter for a Fort Worth radio station and later became director of television news coverage and news anchorman for the Dallas-Fort Worth NBC television affiliate. In 1973, he returned to his hometown of Decatur and purchased the Wise County Messenger. Schieffer is known for his moderation of presidential debates, where he has been praised for his capability. He is one of the few journalists to have covered all four of the major Washington national assignments: the White House, the Pentagon, United States Department of State, and United States Congress. His career with CBS has almost exclusively dealt with national politics. He has interviewed every United States President since Richard Nixon, as well as most of those who sought the office. Needless to say, these two gentlemen provided an enriching evening. photo by Candace Velvin, Publications Manager / Contest Coordinator
Michelle Banse Stokes, publisher of the Colorado County Citizen, along with Casey Stinnett, editor, and Jennifer Gray Richardson, publisher, both of The Vindicator, were guests speakers at one of the afternoon meetings. Their topic was on “Going Viral� and shared their experiences. Richard Stone stands up to bring add some insight into another discussion. photos by Candace Velvin, Publications Manager / Contest Coordinator
April 2019 Newsletter
5
Q
UESTION OF THE MONTH
When was the las
Valeri Stair Granite Publications
Oh my. I laugh a LOT all the time. I shouldn’t have, but I laughed super hard when I was over at Taylor Press and Carolyn got scared. There was a suspicious character lurking around outside the building around closing time. None of us really wanted to go out there because he was just acting weird and wouldn’t take his hands out of his oversized pockets. He was across the street at the bank and then started across the street towards our office. I told Jason not to be alarmed, but there was a guy walking up behind him outside. He immediately moved away from the door and made eye contact with the guy, which made the guy turn and go out of our field of vision in the direction toward the parking lot. We couldn’t see him anymore and didn’t know where he went, but we figured he still had his hands in his pockets. We just knew he had a gun somewhere in there, so we didn’t want to leave just yet. Daniel heard all our commotion from next door and came to see what was going on. While we were all looking out the front window to see where the mystery guy had gone, Jim Beaver walks in from the right. Well, if you know Carolyn, you know she scares easily, and she was already on edge from the lurking guy. I saw Jim Beaver and said, “And here you come sneaking up on us trying to scare us.” Carolyn hears me, turns towards Jim Beaver, screams this blood curdling scream which scares the crap out of Jim Beaver and Daniel simultaneously. Jason has his hand on the front door ready to bolt, Jim Beaver has his hand on his heart, Daniel jumps and has a hilarious look of fright on his face, and I am almost in the floor laughing at the whole situation as it’s going down. No one will ever accuse the Taylor Press or Granite Crew of being overly brave, that’s for sure.
Kit Brenner
Boerne Star
Patti Slavych Granite Publications 6
Literally all the time! I have a great crew and we try to always have a good time together. It is nice to work in a place where you share the work and still find time for fun and laughter.
Last week! It was a totally inappropriate FB post that brought me to tears. It was soooo politically incorrect I will NOT share!
www.granitepublications.com
t time you laughed so hard you cried? Michelle Banse Stokes Colorado County Citizen
Here at The Citizen, we have received postcards from an anonymous person on a weekly basis for well over ten years. They are usually quite inappropriate, full of obscene pictures and foul language, mostly aimed at current and former employees as well as random people around town. There's never a threat, so although obnoxious, they're fairly harmless and often hilarious. Recently an advertiser and good friend was in my office and caught a glimpse of a couple of these postcards on my desk. This prim and proper older Christian lady, who never has a hair out of place or a button undone, surprisingly couldn't stop laughing when she read them. At first I was afraid of her reaction, but the more foul the postcards were, the more she laughed. Having never seen this side of her, I promptly pulled more from my desk. Her laughter was contagious. Soon we were both lost in a heap of obscene postcards and Kleenex with tears running down our face, howling with laughter.
April 2019 Newsletter
Gretchen Dyson
Granite Publications Watching the new Ellen Degeneres and Gabriel Iglesias standup specials on Netflix. Amazing comedians like them always know exactly how to get you chuckling so hard you suddenly find yourself in tears!
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Photos by Mandy Carroll of Anahuac.
Investigators collect air plane parts from crash site and transport to nearby barges then is carried by deputies to the shore to be cleaned and transported to a huge warehouse facility in Mont Belvieu for forensic analysis.
THE RUNDOWN Granite Pub takes an interest in the family buzz over the past few months. ANAHUAC PROGRESS
Saturday, Feb. 23 started off like a normal Saturday, people doing their weekend errands, grocery shopping, mowing the yard, out fishing – you know normal stuff, how strange how normal can change in a matter of seconds. At 12.39 p.m. everything changed with a loud soniclike boom, when a Boeing 767 Prime Air Cargo plane unexpectedly nose dived into Trinity Bay near the mouth of Trinity River. All three crewmembers aboard lost their lives in the crash. The crash site was about 150 yards wide and 200 yard long in a marshy area that made accessing the site extremely difficult, making emergency personnel use only airboats and flat boats to get to the site. It took a week to find the two black boxes on the plane and five days to find the remains of the three pilots. Our little community showed their sympathy and condolences with a ceremony placing three crosses with each pilot’s name at the top of the hill overlooking the site. Along with everyone pitching in with volunteering their airboats, barges, handing out food and water to all those working the site. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were the lead investigators on the scene along with the Houston FBI and all local authorities as well, helping to find the pilots and gathering every piece
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of the plane. The parts of the plane are being stored in a huge warehouse in Mont Belvieu where NTSB crews are piecing it back together to figure out the mystery of the crash. Spokesman of NTSB said it could take up to 1-2 years before they close the investigation. At this time there is no clear-cut evidence of what happened and why the plane crashed. On the recorders the only indication of a problem is in the last 18 seconds of the recording leaving the pilots no time to even place a distress call.
Wreckage of Flight #3591 Prime Air that crashed into a marshy area of Trinity Bay at the mouth of Trinity River
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BANDERA BULLETIN
The Bandera Bulletin had to figure out a way to stay afloat without the help of its bookkeeper and Office Manager Fran Fox for about 10 days at the end of March. She needed surgery to take care of a problem that left her with pain in her jaw. Fran was in the hospital for two nights and came back to work a little while longer than she had wanted to but in far less time than many others may have needed. She’s back at it now full time and says she feels very good about how successful the procedure was. The Bulletin was fortunate to get the assistance of Valeri Stair from Granite Publications and other Granite staffers during the time Fran was away and never seemed to miss a beat. Also in the last several months, the paper has added Jade Menchaca of Bandera as a stringer for news. She had received a bachelor’s degree in English from Schreiner University in Kerrville in December, and though she had no experience in journalism, decided to give newspaper writing a try. She has been busy writing about traffic concerns on Highway 16 through Bandera County, activities at the Medina Community Library and other events across the county and says she enjoys the challenge of writing for a newspaper. There’s no doubt she has the smarts to get the job done. In her last semester at Schreiner, she made the President’s List, meaning she earned a grade point average of at least 4.0 for all her classes that semester. And if chasing down sources for a story and doublechecking on the spelling of odd-sounding names isn’t
Glad to see Fran Fox recovering nicely and back at her desk after a successful surgery in March.
April 2019 Newsletter
enough work for her, she also has started pursuing a master’s degree in English from the University of Texas Permian Basin. This January also marked the beginning of the fourth year of the tenure of Bill Pack as the Bulletin’s general manager. He has worked hard to see that the paper provides its readers with useful information that is presented in a clear and interesting way. Now, if he could just figure out how to make deadlines a little more regularly, the world would be a much better place. The first quarter did not produce a great deal of business growth, but the paper produced two special sections – one covering the winners of the Bandera County Junior Livestock Show and the other providing visitors and residents alike with information about key features of the county, including some of the key businesses in town and activities that people can get involved in – that attracted a lot of readers. Readers also had some exciting stories to follow since the start of the year, including a 600th career win by Medina High School Basketball Coach Bill Carter, implementation of an upgraded security system in the Bandera Independent School District, a state small school division championship for the Bandera High School Academic Decathlon team and series of events featuring complaints from an animal rights group that brought an end to a popular fundraiser called the Wild Hog Explosion only to see another sponsoring organization pull the event back together under a different name – the Bacon Bash – and hold a bigger fundraiser last month under the watchful eyes of protestors. More fun is expected in the coming quarter.
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Dayna Haynes Screenwriter It was a dark and stormy night when a stranger approached me…. Oh sorry, different story, but it kind of did happen like that, a friend of mine, Kale Adams did approach me about nine months ago about this story idea he had for a movie and wanted to know if I would be interested in helping write the script. Writing a screenplay was not one of those things on my bucket list let alone something I even ever considered doing. Having my paintings in an art gallery –yes! - writing the next best seller – of course, but a working on a movie- uhhmm nope! Funny how life will throw the unexpected your way! So here we are. I am fully vested in working on a movie, called Open Waters with Terrace Film Works and director-producer Kale Adams. We have diligently been pounding out the script, and working on auditions for cast, along with a myriad of things that must be done to put together a movie. There are many details that have to be pieced together to make a movie. A lot of hard work goes into the process. But it is worth it! Our teaser trailer can be seen on terracefilmworks.com. We just finished signing all our main characters for the movie most of them have serious IMDb credibility and years of experience. Katie Martin will play 10
Writer Dayna Haynes with Evan George Vourazeris at Spotlight Acting Academy in Houston.
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the protagonist, Gabby Ledford, Terri Renee will play antagonist, Juliana Thomas with Vickey Dempsey Burns as Rose Ledford, Maye Harris as Young Gabby, Cameron Lieck as Marilyn, Jason A. Borne as Principal Marty Kassebaum and Evan George Vourazeris as Steven White. They are a very talented group of people and have performed in many different films. You might recognize Evan he is currently playing the role of Tuck in the Netflix series Ozark. He is one the most inspiring people I have had the pleasure to meet. The narration is read by Edwin Neal of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame (Hitchhiker) and is a personal friend of Kale for many years now. He isn’t as scary in person as on film. Edwin has a very long list of films he’s been in and has done voiceover work for many projects, notably he was the voice of Lord Zed in the Power Rangers series for a number of years. In the trailer you will see the house where the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie was filmed in and now is a restaurant and bar, called the Grand Central Cafe in Kingsland, Texas. Kale invited Edwin to come do his voiceover work at the house in Kingsland and the current owners were very gracious working with us allowing us to set up sound equipment and do some filming of the location. It was wonderful meeting Edwin, his wife Theresa and their doggy companion “the mighty” Leo. A beautiful chocolate Pomeranian that travels with them wherever they go. Lovely and gracious people! The story line follows Gabby Ledford who lives in the small town of Anahuac, Texas. She works as schoolteacher and cares for her ailing mother as she struggles to put a horrifying past behind her and make sense of the brutal murder and rape of her sister who’s killer has never been found. I cannot reveal much more of the plot – due to non-disclosure agreement and well, I would have to kill you afterwards. Just kidding. It may seem like the average who-dunnit scenario, but there are so many plot
Actor Edwin Neal of Texas Chainsaw Massacre going over lines with Kale Adams at the Grand Central Café in Kingsland.
twists and turns it will completely blow your mind. I have never seen a story like this and it is so exciting to be a part of the process to getting it out there. We have already signed with a major distributor and are working on our official promotional trailer and will be setting up a kickstarter account to raise funds for production costs. Filming is expected to begin in 2-3 months. Location sites will be in Anahuac, Liberty, Smithville, and Bastrop. We are using a local barrestaurant for one of our scenes and Elizabeth Ames the owner has agreed to play the bartender. It will probably take another 4-6 months to complete filming and then post production-editing can take up to 4 months. We are looking at sometime around June/July of 2020 to launch the film. This truly has been a very exciting, sometimes exhausting, but truly exhilarating experience I have ever done. I cannot wait for the finished product to be released to the world and see what happens. Maybe nothing and maybe everything – who knows? I believe in Kale’s vision and his talents as director/editor and producer of this film. As he often says; “Not really looking for fame or fortune… just want to make movies”
LEFT: Katie Martin (Gabby Ledford), Evan George Vourazeris (Steven White) and Director-Producer Kale Adams after rehearsals at Spotlight Acting Academy in Houston. CENTER: Maye Harris (Young Gabby) and Cameron Lieck (Marilyn Ledford) at Spotlight Acting Academy in Houston. RIGHT: Katie Martin and Dayna Haynes at Spotlight Acting Academy in Houston.Check out the trailer on terracefilmworks.com
April 2019 Newsletter
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Say howdy to the new faces
Content editor Jennifer Aghassibake dyeing with her husband during a week-long medieval event during spring break in Mississippi.
BOERNE STAR
During the last three months the team at The Boerne Star has expanded, and under Publisher Jeff Parra’s guidance, blossomed. Sales representative Roxanne Schram found her calling at the Boerne Star on Feb. 22 after 27 years of self-employment in Austin. Her most recent endeavor was marketing and sales for Wyndam Hyatt Hotel and Resort in downtown San Antonio. As a Boerne resident, she is glad that commute is over. Roxanne has Alsatian roots and grew up in Castroville, a few miles southwest of San Antonio. She moved back to Boerne to be closer to her aging mother and spend time with her grand children. She said the kiddos enjoy feeding the ducks at the Boerne River and the help her in the garden. “I love to garden,” she said. “It’s my therapy.” She spends most of her free time among the flower beds and enjoys it immensely. She currently lives on two acres in Boerne, with two goats and has been prodding her husband of almost four years to add chickens to the list of roaming pets.
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Sales representative Erika Gomez lights up any room and her networking hustle is a constant go-go-go. She started at the Boerne Star March 4 and has been in marketing for 15 years. Gomez said she is one of the 12 ladies that made up the first female graduating class at Antonian Preparatory High School. The San Antonio native has a husband, three kids and one grandchild. She has lived in the Leon Springs area for the past 8 years and loves the Hill Country flair. If she’s not out on a dancing date with her husband, she is out in the community helping seniors and children with disabilities. She has spent the last 15 years throwing educational events for Seniors to help them sign up for healthcare benefits. Two of those years she worked in occupational therapy for pediatric patients. “I’ve just always been protecting seniors and kids,” she said. In her free time Gomez works as a make-up artist and hair stylist, choosing to work pro bono with those less fortunate. When asked about what she likes about working at The Boerne Star, Gomez said, “ I like that I get to meet new
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people every day… especially the older generation, they always have a story to share.” The newest member of the team, Jennifer Aghassibake has taken the reigns as The Boerne Star’s Content Editor. Aghassibake, a San Antonio native, has returned to South Texas after three years in the Texas Panhandle. While in Amarillo, she worked for the Amarillo GlobeNews as a copy editor and page designer. Aghassibake, pronounced Ah-gah-see-bayk (like baking a cake), is a happily married mom of three girls, all of which are still in Amarillo with her husband, finishing out the school year. Most of her journalism and photojournalism background stems from years of training and encouragement from the journalism professors at San Antonio College. Her kids grew up in their newsroom. She is currently enrolled at Arizona State University and plans to finally finish her Media Communications bachelors degree, after almost a decade in the field. Outside of the newsroom, Jennifer is an artist and medieval re-enactor with SCA.org. She is a weaver and master dyer. She teaches others how to use different tree barks, leaves and insects to dye raw wool to then spin and weave with it. She travels across Texas and
Oklahoma, and sometimes as far as Mississippi to teach, learn and share medieval past times. When asked why she joined the Boerne Star, she said, “I loved the enthusiasm and excitement the publisher shared with me during our telephone interviews. Jeff has been a huge help in letting me gather my footing and create something new for the Boerne Star.”
Salesperson Erika Gomez, far right, celebrates a birthday with her family. She is an active member of the Leon Springs community and constantly helps out with neighborhood parties and social mixers.
Salesperson Roxanne Schram’s daughter, husband and two children live in the Elgin area. Her daughter is an active member in the Elgin chamber of commerce.
April 2019 Newsletter
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The Unstoppable Chris Brown
LEFT: Chris Brown shows off his second-place district medal in Lincoln Douglas Debate. CENTER: Chris Brown after receiving notice he had been accepted in to the University of Houston, complete with a scholarship to help cover the cost of tuition all four years. RIGHT: Brown_Em_Year: Chris Brown shows off his Employee of the Year plaque from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce after being named Employee of the Year by the Chamber. COLUMBUS COLORADO COUNTY CITIZEN Citizen publisher Michelle Banse Stokes spoke at the Texas Press Association Mid-Winter Conference in Denton on Jan. 25. Michelle’s presentation addressed how newspaper leaders can handle instances when their publications become the topics of news stories. Her presentation was a big hit at the convention. She spoke from personal experience, having led the Citizen when the paper went viral in 2017 during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Vince Leibowitz, Managing Editor of the Colorado County Citizen, participated in two historical marker dedications in his capacity as a member of the Colorado County Historical Commission. One was for former Texas Ranger Zeno Smith in Eagle Lake; the other was for the Eagle Lake Christian Church Building. Chris Brown was named the Columbus Chamber of Commerce’s Employee of the Year for 2018 a the Columbus Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting Jan. 24. Brown, the Citizen’s Editorial Assistant, has worked for the newspaper since August, 2017. Brown was recognized for his efforts in helping the newspaper transition to its current style, layout, and content level by assuming additional duties previous previous student typesetters did not, including his work weekly transcribing the newspaper’s popular Citizen Century column. Chris was also accepted to the University of Houston this January, receiving a $10,000 per semester scholarship from the university. Brown plans to become a psychiatrist. Brown also recently placed second in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Editorial Writing at the University Interscholastic League District Meet representing Columbus High School. As of this
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writing, Brown was preparing to compete at the area meet. Brown’s second place win in LD earned him a Columbus Cardinal’s letter jacket. Lori Ligues was named top in collections for 2018 with overall collections at 84.4087%! Colorado County Citizen Managing Editor Vince Leibowitz recently had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Roland Pattillo, a professor emeritus in gynecology at Moorehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga. Dr. Pattillo is the nephew of Sadie Pattillo, who won the south’s first bus segregation case in Beaumont, Texas in the 1930s. A Texas court held that Pattillo, who was black but mixed-race, could not be forced to sit in the “colored” section
Citizen Publisher Michelle Banse Stokes gives her presentation, Going Viral: When Newsmakers Make the News, at the Texas Press Convention in Denton on January 25.
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of a Beaumont bus because state Jim Crow laws, written before buses were common, only covered intraurban rail cars. This occurred more than two decades before Rosa Park’s infamous refusal to leave an Alabama bus. Roland Pattillo is famous for his work with the HeLa cells of Henrietta Lacks. Pattillo, in fact, purchased Lack’s gravestone and has been the liaison between the Lacks family, other researchers, and the media for decades. Leibowitz learned during the interview that in 1955, Dr. Pattillo was arrested for the same offense as his aunt under a Beaumont city segregation ordinance. Although the Texas Legislature never passed a statewide bus segregation ordinance after the court’s ruling in Sadie’s case, many cities promptly adopted strict bus segregation ordinances. It is a long held legal standard that local governments may legislate in areas where the state does not, and local ordinances proliferated in the absence of a state segregation law. Leibowitz conducted the interview for a Texas Historical Marker application he intends to file to have Sadie recognized in her hometown. Leibowitz previously secured a historical marker for Etta Moten Barnett, the first black woman to sing in the White House, for the city of Weimar. Michelle was named Marketing and Communications Chairperson and re-elected as Tail Twister for the Weimar Encore Lion’s Club. Banse Stokes is in her fourth year as a member of the club. The Weimar Encore Lion’s Club is very active in the Weimar Community. Banse Stokes is currently preparing for her role as a committee member helping organize the club’s pie contest at Weimar’s popular Gedenke! German festival in May.
April 2019 Newsletter
Members of the Colorado County Historical Commission turned out in large numbers Sunday for the historical marker dedication for the Eagle Lake Christian Church marker. Shown are, left to right, David and Elvera Kahlich of Weimar, Vince Leibowitz of Columbus, Melvin and Joyce Stancik of Eagle Lake, Ken Stavinoah of Rosenberg, Joe Fling of Eagle Lake (commission member and pastor of Living Hope Church in Eagle Lake, where the marker is dedicated), commission member Mary Ann Kaluza, Mercy Fling of Living Hope Church, Commission Member Karen Frayard, Dr. Sandra Thomas, Eagle Lake historian and author of the marker narrative, and Colorado County Judge Ty Prause.
Citizen Publisher Michelle Banse Stokes and her husband, Will, enjoyed a day of rainbow trout fishing at the city park in College Station with their border collie, True, on March 8. The couple caught their limit of five fish apiece and later enjoyed a fresh fish dinner.
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Fun at Columbus
Michelle Banse Stokes’ daughter, Zoe Michelle, and the Weimar High School Band shaved the head of their band director after receiving all 1’s at the UIL Concert and Sightreading Competition in Bastrop on March 6.
Michelle Banse Stokes warns everyone to stay off the country roads around Colorado County as her daughter, Zoe Michelle, learns to drive.
Citizen Publisher Michelle Banse Stokes and her husband, Will, enjoy a night out at the dance hall and biergarten at Momma’s at Senglemann Hall in Schulenburg recently. ELGIN COURIER It’s been a whirlwind in Elgin, as I guess it is at all the papers this time of year. As I arrived in Elgin to “help out until they found another publisher�, it was off to the races with our Spring Sports poster. It turned out great, with the help of Creative Services. Of course, it was handed out to all sponsors and we had just enough left to give every athlete at the high school one. Julianne Hodges, our news reporter, and I had the opportunity to visit the state capitol with the Elgin Chamber and other key members of the community. It was a great time, and a good opportunity to meet dozens of the local business folk. Following that, Heather Ott, our salesperson, attended our first Elgin Chamber of Commerce
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monthly luncheon, another opportunity to rub elbows with the local business men and DOWNTOWN ELGIN women. Easy listen ing The Elgin Courier guitar at 7p m Joe DeRose participated in the ! downtown ‘Sip, Shop & Stroll’ event, which is basically a fun-time street party on the “Monster second Thursday of Jamâ€? each month. The Courier has become a regular part of the event, as we hold our office open, offering snacks and Join us in beverages‌.and sometimes a little Thursday, Ap ril 11th Sip a little while enjoy wine, shop ing live mu and stroll karaoke contest, of sic, wine sam ples, local foo ds and much more! course. Cannon Ins urance The Health y Spot Last week most with
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of the staff attended the annual Chamber awards banquet, which was the most-attended banquet in the history of the Chamber. Another great time to meet more locals. A special thanks goes out to Valeri Stair from Granite Publications, who attended the event. One surprise, Jim Beaver was introduced as a new Chamber board member. In personal news, Heather Ott’s daughter, Lynlee, turned 1. It’s fun to see her in the office play on the floor, as her mother did the same thing, since Heather is the granddaughter of Marie Ott, longtime employee and former publisher of the Courier. And, recently announced, I have taken the helm as, officially, publisher of The Elgin Courier. Gypsy Rox entertained recently at the local Sip, Shop and Stroll event, held every second Tuesday of the month. The Elgin Courier staff offers snacks and beverages to visitors, and occaisionally, Jim Beaver drags out the karaoke machine. Fun is had by all.
ABOVE: Elgin Courier Publisher Jim Beaver stands next to the Spring Sports poster. It was handed out to all sponsors and one copy was given to every athlete at the high school. RIGHT: Granite Publications Valeri Stair, Jim Beaver and salesperson Heather Ott attend the Elgin Chamber of Commerce Banquet. Jim Beaver was introduced as a new Chamber board member.
April 2019 Newsletter
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LIBERTY VINDICATOR Early this March The Vindicator launched a monthly Spanish-language section that was well received. The paper found an inexpensive means of doing this by hiring a local translator, not to translate Vindicator articles from scratch, but to only proofread and correct articles translated by Google or Windows Live. The translator/proofreader is Aura Orand, who has been a very enthusiastic addition to The Vindicator’s part-time staff. The second Spanish-language section came out April 4. The Vindicator lost a longtime friend and patron last month. Houston Daniel passed away. He was the son of late U.S. Senator and Texas Governor Price Daniel, who for many decades was part owner of The Vindicator. Houston Daniel’s friendship, support, sideline cheerleading and occasional news tips will be greatly missed at the newspaper. Coincidentally, the April 4 edition of The Vindicator celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, that consists of some 30,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest, much of which was obtained from the Daniel family, and Houston Daniel was instrumental in making that conveyance possible.
Examiner Senior News Reporters Matthew Ybarra leads the opening ceremony for the Grimes County Little League. Matt also serves as the president for the league.
NAVASOTA EXAMINER Things at The Examiner have been moving right along. We’ve all been busy bees participating in one thing or another including the Grimes County Chamber Banquet, Texas Birthday Bash and the Grimes County Business Expo. Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino signed her son up for baseball this season. Jason is now a part of the Grimes County Outlaws. He is still a little unsure about playing baseball as is his mommy. Ana and her family traveled to San Marcus to meet some family that they had never met before. A lot of family. Jason and Ana have also enjoyed some of this pretty weather at the park. Examiner Sales Rep Angela Scurlock has enjoyed many events with the Examiner. She has taken advantage of this pretty weather to ride with her husband, Shawn, on their motorcycle – enjoying the scenery in Texas. Angela has also spent many weekends at Dance Competitions cheering on her daughter Jayda and has spent a lot of relaxing days at home with her daughter
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Layla and the critters. Examiner Bookkeeper Sonya Bobo has been pretty busy attending sponsored Examiner events and also personal events with family and friends. She has been preparing for her son’s graduation and graduation party in May. Sonya is also looking forward for weekend getaways with her family in May, June and July. Examiner Senior News Reporter Matthew Ybarra has been serving as President of the Grimes County Little League which has kept him extremely busy this season. Matt is also coaching one of his daughter’s softball teams – Batter Babes sponsored by the Navasota Examiner. Matt and his father traveled to Corpus Christi to cover the Navasota High School basketball in the regional finals. Angela, Sonya and Matt were all involved in motor collisions this quarter, but luckily no one was injured. They were all within a week apart. We were all scared to drive and made sure to text each other that we had made it to our destination safely.
Jason, Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino’s son, is all smiles after he rounds the bases and heads home.
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PHOTO 1: Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino and Bookkeeper Sonya Bobo enoyed the 7th annual Texas Birthday Bash in downtown Navasota. PHOTO 2: Ana Cosino pictured with Salesperson Angela Scurlock. PHOTO 3: Sonya, Angela and Ana having fun. PHOTO 4: Examiner Bookkeeper Sonya Bobo poses with her son Austin at the annual Texas Birthday Bash.
Salesperson Angela Scurlock and her husband pose for a selfie.
Examiner Senior News Reporter Matthew Ybarra recently took his dad an outing to watch the Rattlers in action.
Salesperson Angela Scurlock’s daughter, Layla, enjoys an evening at home watching Netflix.
Bran Bobo, Bookkeeper Sonya Bobo’s son, will be graduating from high school in May.
April 2019 Newsletter
Examiner Senior News Reporter Matthew Ybarra’s dad poses here in Kingsville while on a recent outing with Matt to watch the Rattlers in action.
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Navasota staff at play
The Examiner crew had a fiesta at the annual Chamber Awards Banquet. Pictured from left to right: Examiner Senior News Reporter Matthew Ybarra, Examiner Bookkeeper Sonya Bobo, Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino, Examiner Sales Rep Angela Scurlock and Examiner Reporter Connie Clements.
Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino and her son Jason enjoy a beautiful day at the park.
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The Examiner was represented well at the annual Chamber of Commerce Vendor Blender. Pictured from left to right: Examiner Sales Rep Angela Scurlock, Examiner Bookkeeper Sonya Bobo, Examiner Publisher Ana Cosino, and Examiner Senior News Reporter Matthew Ybarra.
Jayda, salesperson Angela Scurlock’s daughter, is the star performer at a NHS Diamonette event.
Salesperson Angela Scurlock and Navasota Bookkeepr Sonya Bobo enjoying the 7th annual Texas Birthday Bash in downtown Navasota.
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The Chamber and its Ambassadors named the Taylor Press as the March Business of the Month. The Press and Publisher Jason Hennington were nominated for their “commitment to local news
TAYLOR PRESS A lot has happened at the Taylor Press over the last three months. In February, Richard Stone retired as publisher and is now enjoying some time off. Richard made it official in the February edition of Pints, Politics & Culture, rightly named “The Exit Interview.” During the event, Richard interviewed retiring Taylor city manager Isaac Turner. The two came to Taylor around the same time, and left their respective positions around the same time. In March, Jason Hennington was named publisher. Prior to becoming publisher, Jason was active during the first few months of the year. In January, his youngest daughter Tiana turned 3 years old, and had a Paw Patrol party with family. That same weekend, Jason performed some of his music live on stage at Black Sparrow in Taylor. It was his first time being on stage since 2008, and even after 20 years of writing and performing music, it was his first time ever performing in his hometown. Later that month, Jason organized a surprise party for his wife’s 30th birthday. She was excited to see all of her family from El Paso along with some of her family in the Austin area and her co-workers. His daughter Jasmine (7) won several awards this quarter at school including A Honor Roll and excelling in math and reading. She also competed in her first UIL event and took third place overall in Oral Reading. For the bookkeeper Carolyn Hill, she said she had a good start to the year. The highlight of Carolyn’s life is seeing one of her children enjoying the heck out of things they really love. Jessica is special needs and enjoys all sports, mainly because in Taylor, these kids
April 2019 Newsletter
play all the sports. The Harlem Globetrotters coming to Austin was that highlight for Jessica. Carolyn kept watching her during the game and her eyes would get big and her eyebrows would raise, but she did not say very much . . . until . . . they hit the car and the next few days, constantly remembering tricks or things they had said. Carolyn said they had excellent seats, and were close enough that they got wet when they dumped the ice cooler on a fellow player. The Taylor Press also welcomed Jonathan Jones, although he has been with the team since December. Since January he and his family have been leading the normal American life. In January they had the opportunity to meet some of the people from the TV show Memphis Street Outlaws at the Little River Dragway. Jonathan’s father-in-law had a bout with the flu and oxygen deprivation that left him hospitalized for seven days. He is doing better now. Jonathan also had a run in with the flu that lasted almost two weeks. His wife and both of his sons are doing good. His wife bought 100 chicks from Tractor Supply, so in addition to their dogs, cats and rabbits, she now has chicks to keep her busy. And, Jonathan finally bought a new golf cart in March, now if he could just find the time to play some golf it would be worth it.
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Work hard. Play harder.
LEFT: Jasmine shows off her 3rd place medal in Oral Storytelling after her first ever UIL competition. CENTER: Jasmine Hennington is proud of her award for All A Honor Roll. RIGHT: Jason’s wife Tynna celebrated her birthday with a denim and diamonds theme party.
Former Publisher Richard Stone hosted his last Pints, Politics & Culture before retirement. The interview was dubbed the Jason steps back on stage Dueling Exit for the first time in over 10 Interviews. years. This was his first ever performance in his hometown of Taylor.
The Harlem Globetrotters entertained several employees from the Taylor Press along with a crowd full of people at the Frank Erwin Center.
BIRTHDAYS Schobey, Gail, 4/19
Chionsini, Jim, 5/19
Maltsberger, Elaine, 6/18
Ybarra, Matthew, 5/5
Patrino Kutch, Minerva, 5/21
Bobo, Sonya, 6/18
Carroll, Mandy, 5/11
Cosino, Ana, 5/23
Carrington, Michael, 6/21
Gray, Jennifer, 5/13
Shupe, Nicole, 5/27
Castro, Fernando, 6/21
Elgin Courier
Navasota Examiner Navasota Examnier Liberty Vindicator
Dusek, Monetta, 5/14 Granite Publications
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Granite Publications Granite Publications Navasota Examiner Navasota Examiner
Boerne Star
Navasota Examiner Navasota Examiner
Granite Publications
Dyson, Gretchen, 6/21 Granite Publications
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All About Family GRANITE PUBLICATIONS (MAIN OFFICE)
For Granite Publications, we let our pictures do the talking. Check out what has been going on with all of our people.
Brazil-exchange student Vini visits the Philhower family during his recent college break.
Sam and Charles Stair pose here as Sam prepares for his first prom. Valeri could not be a prouder mom.
Senior Designer Gretchen Dyson took her kids to the park for their required annual pictures in the bluebonnets. Both Deklin (2-years-old) and Alexandra (10-monthsold) enjoyed playing in the field, but were careful not to harm (many of) the flowers. KatiAnn Philhower (center) as she prepares for her 5th half marathon.
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Orlando Rojo-Buendia enjoying a Pineapple soft-serve at the Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade, Texas.
TOP: Recently, Daniel and KatiAnn Philhower hosted a party in there new house. BOTTOM LEFT: Taylor-Net movers-shakers gathered for a photo op at the crawfish boil. BOTTOM RIGHT: Lots of mudbugs were boiled for the many guests.
MSI wanted their librarian, Mrs. Philhower, to know how much they appreciate her, so they decorated her door for National Library Week.
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Creative Services Manager Patti Slavych enjoys her roses in bloom.
Jasmine Gutierrez with friends attending Celebration Church’s Radiant Women’s Conference last March.
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Grace and Tanner Philhower enjoy their day at the new skate park in Taylor.
Tanner Philhower does the prayers at church as his proud dad Daniel watches.
Orlando Rojo-Buendia & his pup, Panda, in Grace Philhower enjoys a sunny day and all front of the Texas State Capitol for a nice day out & some PokÊmon hunting. the land at the Philhower’s new home.
Daniel Philhower and his son Tanner enjoying a recent outing to the Monster Truck rally in Austin.
April 2019 Newsletter
Daniel Philhower and his daughter Grace on Daddy-Daughter date night.
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Granite Printing h
Here’s an inside look at our family out at the Taylor Press printing plant. A BIG THANKS
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hard at work!
S goes out to these fine folks who make all our hard work really shine! Ory Boney
Printing Operations Manager
Phillip Gutierrez Press Foreman
Raymond Chavana
Press Machine Operator
Grace Rangel
Imagine Machine Operator
Tim Nemec
Shipping/Receiving Manager
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GROUPWIDE DIRECTORY GRANITE HEADQUARTERS GRANITE WEST 3115 Loop 306 Ste. 111, San Angelo, TX 76904 monetta.dusek@granitepublications.com ACCOUNTING CENTER PO Box 1010 • 211 W. Third St. • Taylor, TX 76574 512-352-8285 • Fax: 512-352-8295 CREATIVE SERVICES 512-352-1009 • Fax 512-352-3227 ads@granitepublications.com pages@granitepublications.com JIM CHIONSINI jchionsini@yahoo.com O: 325-949-4700 | C: 325-315-6328 DANIEL PHILHOWER daniel.philhower@granitepublications.com Cell: 512-203-1893 JIM BEAVER jim.beaver@granitepublications.com
PUBLICATION OFFICES THE ANAHUAC PROGRESS (Wednesday) General Manager: Dayna Haynes PO Box 100 • 306 Willcox St. Anahuac, TX 77514 409-267-6131 • Fax: 409-267-4157 • Dayna Haynes: theprogress@theanahuac progress.com THE BANDERA BULLETIN (Wednesday) General Manager: Bill Pack PO Box 697 • 606 State Hwy 16 South Bandera, TX 78003 830-796-3718 banderabulletin.com • Bill Pack: bill@banderabulletin.com • Fran Fox: fran.fox@granitepublications.com • Dee Russ: dee@banderabulletin.com
Cell: 512-461-6906 VALERI STAIR
BOERNE STAR (Tuesday & Friday)
valeri.stair@granitepublications.com
Editor & Publisher: Jeffrey Parra
Cell: 512-955-9139
PO Box 820 • 941 N. School St.
PATTI SLAVYCH
Boerne, TX 78006
patti.slavych@granitepublications.com Cell: 713-377-1372 ORY BONEY
830-249-2441 • Fax: 830-249-4607 boernestar.com • Jeffrey Parra: publisher@boernestar.com
ELGIN COURIER (Wednesday) Editor & Publisher: Jim Beaver PO Box 631 • 105 N. Main • Elgin, TX 78621-0631 512-285-3333 • Fax: 512-285-9406 elgincourier.com • Jim Beaver: publisher@elgincourier.com •Gail Schobey: gail.schobey@elgincourier.com • Julianne Hodges: julianne.hodges@elgincourier.com • Heather Ott: ads@elgincourier.com GRANITE PRINTING Director of Print Operations: Ory Boney 2675 CR 374 • Taylor, TX 76574 512-352-3687 • Fax: 512-352-6138 • Ory Boney: ory.boney@granitepublications.com • Grace Rangel: grace.rangel@granitepublications.com THE LIBERTY VINDICATOR (Thursday) Editor & Publisher: Jennifer Richardson 1939 Trinity • Liberty, TX 77575 936-336-3611 • Fax: 936-336-3345 thevindicator.com • Jennifer Richardson: publisher@thevindicator.com • Casey Stinnett: editor@thevindicator.com • Kim Marlow: ads@thevindicator.com NAVASOTA EXAMINER (Wednesday) Editor & Publisher: Ana Cosino
ory@graniteprinting.net
• Kolleen Roe: kolleen@boernestar.com
Cell: 512-269-9837
• Kerry Barboza: sports@boernestar.com
936-825-6484 • Fax 936-825-2230
•Jennifer Aghassibake: jennifer@boernestar.com
navasotaexaminer.com
• Dana Smith: subscriptions@boernestar.com
• Ana Cosino: publisher@navasotaexaminer.com
• Kit Brenner: kitbrenner@boernestar.com
• Angela Scurlock: ads@navasotaexaminer.com
• Roxanne Schram roxanne@boernestar.com
• Nicole Shupe: news@navasotaexaminer.com
• Erika Gomex erika@boernestar.com
• Sonya Bobo: bookkeeper@navasotaexaminer.com
ACCOUNTING Danita Hutto danita.hutto@granitepublications.com
CREATIVE SERVICES Gretchen Dyson | Senior Page Designer gretchen.dyson@granitepublications.com Fernando Castro fernando.castro@granitepublications.com Jasmine Gutierrez Jasmine@granitepublications.com Matt Hellman matthew.hellman@granitepublications.com
COLORADO COUNTY CITIZEN (Wednesday)
PO Box 751 • 115 Railroad St. • Navasota, TX 77868
• Matt Ybarra: sports@navasotaexaminer.com
Editor & Publisher: Michelle Banse Stokes
TAYLOR PRESS/HUTTO NEWS (Sunday,
PO Box 548 • 2024 Hwy. 71 • Columbus, TX
Wednesday)
78934-0548
Editor & Publiser: Jason Hennington
979-732-2304 • Fax: 979-732-8804
211 W. Third • Taylor, TX 76574-1040
coloradocountycitizen.com
512-352-8535 • Fax: 512-352-1505
• Michelle Banse Stokes: publisher@colorado
taylorpress.net
countycitizen.com
• Jason Hennington: publisher@taylorpress.net
minerva.kutch@granitepublications.com
• Lori Ligues: bookkeeper@coloradocountycitizen.com
• Carolyn Hill: business@taylorpress.net
Orlando Rojo-Buendia
• Vince Leibowitz: vince@coloradocountycitizen.com
• Reagan Roehl: sports@taylorpress.net
• Chris Brown: copy@coloradocountycitizen.com
• Jonathan Jones: jonathan.jones@taylorpress.net
Minerva Kutch
orlando.rojo-buendia@granitepublications.com
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