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Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 4 No. 41
INSIDE
EMS REPORTS
www.hillcountryherald.net
October 8, 2014
editor@hillcountryherald.net
REAL COUNTY SHERIFF JAMES BRICE RETIRES Real County Sheriff James Brice announced his official retirement this week, effective December 31, 2014. Brice said in a letter to Real County Commissioners Court and Real County Judge Garry Merritt “I want to take this opportunity to let you know that I consider it my honor and privilege to have served Real County in several positions over my thirty four year law enforcement career with twenty eight of those years as Sheriff. Brice went on to say that he would be willing to do what he could to make the transition as smooth as possible. In an interview this week with the Herald, Brice said his career with Real County started in May 1978 under then Sheriff Buck Miller and Constable Burnham Hudson. He said G.W. Twilligear was the County Judge at that time and always had an open door policy for the people of Real County. Brice said when he first began his law
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Tri-Canyon’s Only Weekly Newspaper!
by Julie Becker
enforcement career he was on salary for $25 per night. He had been married less than a year when he took the patrol on Leakey graduation night 1981. Brice is married to his high school sweetheart Donna, they have one child Jamie and two grandchildren Bricen and Katelynn. Brice is a native of Leakey and a hometown boy, having lived here his whole life. Brice will be retiring in the middle of his term of office; therefore the Real County Commissioners will appoint someone to fill the position until the general election in 2016. Real County Judge Garry Merritt said the Sheriff’s retirement will be an agenda item on the October 14 County Commissioners Court. At that time commissioners will consider acceptance of the retirement letter and establish the process to appoint someone to fill the remaining term of Brice. Following the October 14 Commissioners Court, continued page 2
REAL EDWARDS CONSERVATION AND RECLAMATION DISTRICT BUDGET by Julie Becker
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Dub’s Corner
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While reviewing local budgets and presenting those facts and numbers to the citizens of Real County, I decided to request a budget from the Real Edwards Conservation And Reclamation District. In reviewing the budget, that is wholly supported from Real County and Edwards County taxpayers, I discovered some numbers that are out of line for our area. The district is governed by a board of directors led by Pres. Roland Trees, VP Carl Hyde, and Secretary Richard Sprouse. Other board members include: William (Bob) Burditt, Dub Suttle, Stan Cottle, Sam Epperson, Charles Carson, III and Martin Martinez. Joel Pigg serves as the District Manager.
The website for the district states “The District was created to provide for the conservation, preservation, protection, recharge and prevention of waste of the underground water reservoirs located under the District consistent with Article XVI, Section 59, of the Texas Constitution and Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code. The District will develop, promote, and implement management strategies to provide for the conservation, preservation, protection, recharging, and prevention of waste of the groundwater resources, over which it has jurisdictional authority, for the benefit of the people that the District serves.”
In reviewing the district budget that was adopted in September of this year, there is a glaring increase in salary totals. In the fiscal year 2012 the RECRD manager’s salary was $50,600, in 2013 that salary increased to $55,660, in 2014 that salary increased to $64,000, and for the fiscal year 2015 that salary increased to 67,000. For a total increase of $16,400 over a three-year period. Listed as two separate items throughout the three year span a part-time intern and an office assistant salaries also increased. The documentation provided shows in 2012 there was a part-time intern whose salary was $27,000, that position decreased to $1500 for the fiscal year 2015. However
the office assistant’s salary increased from $11,232 in fiscal year 2012 to $25,500 for the fiscal year 2015. While this increase could be based on part-time versus full-time employment the salary still appears out of line for our area. The total budget for the RECRD is listed at $210,499, with increases in a majority of the line items. Citizens in Real County received their tax statements this week and are encouraged to review the tax dollars that go to the RECRD and visit with any of the above listed board members for questions regarding this budget and the salary amounts.
Rio Frio Cemetery Associa�on Acquires Historic Rio Frio Church by Julie Becker
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PROPERTY OWNER ASSOCIATIONS ............................ Page 2
INDEX State News .................... Page 2 Legals/Jail Register ...... Page 3 Community News ......... Page 4-6 Feature Story ................. Page 7 Obituaries ...................... Page 8 Classifieds ..................... Page 12
Today’s Weather
High:86° Low: 70°
The Rio Frio Cemetery Associa�on recently purchased the historic Rio Frio church from the Southwest Texas District of the Pentecostal Church of God. Following a year of restora�on and refurbishing the new owners will celebrate the Centennial birthday of the church on November 21, 2015. A fund-raising campaign to defray purchase price and restora�on costs spearheaded by Willis Springfield has been launched. Tax deduc�ble contribu�ons may be mailed to the Rio Frio Cemetery Associa�on, PO Box 96, Rio Frio, Texas, 78879. “We are not planning to establish a church. Our goal is to preserve this historic building which can be used for weddings, funerals, and other civic events,” said Springfield. Your contribu�on to the Rio Frio Cemetery Associa�on is taxdeduc�ble and greatly appreciated.
The Spirit of ‘45 Rodney Reagan was born to J. B. and Annie Reagan on a ranch north of Leakey. At the age of 18, he met Deloise Moffet, daughter of Ester and Lois Moffett of Rio Frio, when she was only 12, rescuing her little, red purse from a pen of cattle. Shortly before he graduated, he volunteered to go into the Air Force. He was taking the test to enter and it was meal time. The test was stopped to allow him time to eat. While eating, he was told that the volunteers for Air Force pilots was closed. So, he went home and waited to get drafted. He then graduated from Leakey High School in 1944. When he was drafted, he reported to San Antonio, and upon request was assigned to the Navy submarine service. He was put on a train and during the summer of 1944, got his basic at San Diego, California. After completion, he was sent home on leave, then back to San Diego, San Francisco, and on to submarine school
by Billie Franklin
for three months at New London, Connecticut, Then, he was sent to Mare Island near Vallejo, California, and then to Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. Next he was shipped to the Pacific with two destroyer escorts and at Pearl Harbor, a platoon of Waves was unloaded. On to Samar, in the Philippines, and then Subic Bay, where he was on a submarine tender to be refurbished. On the 9th of November, 1943, the SS 238 Wahoo submarine was reported sunk. On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered. On April 22, 1946, at 6:30 in the morning, he was on a transport to San Francisco. On an old map in his trunk of treasures, was written the fact that he was 1 1/2 inches away from going 1/2 way around the world. He was discharged at Houston and went home to Leakey.
He helped build the American Legion Hall in Leakey when he was 20 years old. He went to school on the G I Bill, studying mechanics and agriculture. In Rio Frio, Deloise Moffett, then 14, heard that Rodney was home from the service and soon they were dating. He was nice and polite and they dated for the next two years. When she was 16 and he was 22, they were married in the yard of the home of a preacher. It was a double wedding; the other couple were her best friends, Feleta Crider, and Carl Chisum. The four travelled toward Rocksprings, then Sonora, and Cloudcroft, New Mexico, on their double honeymoon. When they came home, the Reagans lived a short time on the ranch, then started farming on the shares in Rio Frio. He bought a farm through the Farmers Home Administration and built a home on it. During the ‘50’s, he worked for Dow Chemical at Lake Jackson. Then, as soon as the drought broke, they went back to the farm. During the Korean War, Rodney worked at the Hondo Air Base as an airplane mechanic and baled hay at the farm in Rio Frio, late into the night. He and his wife celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary in May of this year.