THE
Tiger's baseball action PAGE A6
Serving Sealy and Austin County, Texas since 1887 • Home of Donna Underwood Volume 129 Number 10
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2016
22 pages, $1
180 years of Texas Independence celebrated in San Felipe
YMCA held up in deed: Project design at final stages By JASON B. HOGAN reporter@sealynews.com
Photos by Joe Southern
Scott McMahon, portraying a courier from the Alamo with letters from Col. William Travis, talks with school children Wednesday at San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site about Texas Independence and his re-creation of the ride to take the letters from the Alamo to Washington-on-the-Brazos.
History comes alive at historical site By JOE SOUTHERN Nearly 400 school children from several districts in the region came to learn and celebrate Texas Independence Day Wednesday at San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site. The celebration was in sharp contrast the mood 180 years ago to the day when delegates at Washington-on-theBrazos signed the Declaration of Texas Independence from
Mexico all the while preparing to fight the Mexican army under Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. On Wednesday, children greeted Scott McMahon, a reenactor who rode into San Felipe on horseback dressed in period clothes and carrying a replica of the Victory or Death letter that William Travis wrote asking for reinforcements to come to the aid of the men in Alamo. ■ HISTORY, page A18
Jerry McMahon fires his flintlock during a demonstration Wednesday at San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site. See more history photos on page A3
Stephen Cryan, the land developer for the new Mark A. Chapman YMCA Indoor Recreational Facility, sent an email to The Sealy News last week detailing frustrations with the planning stages for the project, which is set for completion in March 2017. Cryan relayed a twopart explanation for continued discouragement. First, he said Mayor Mark Stolarski has recently blamed the developer for project delays due to additions in a gifted deed that transfers land ownership to the city for the purpose of constructing the YMCA and a lingering need for further negotiations. Second, Cryan said city manager Larry Kuciemba cited increased costs as part of project delays. “Why is the city manager blaming increased costs as the reason for the most recent delay while the mayor is blaming the landowner,” Cryan said. “Neither of these excuses have merit, so what is the real reason for the delay?” Council required changes in the deed language subject to its final approval. Cryan said they had not received revisions from the city attorney until the beginning of February, more than three months after an October council meeting at the W.E. Hill Center where the changes were first advised. ■ YMCA, page A17
Rodeo Foodies
Willow River
Photo by Jason B. Hogan
Rita Garcia of Fox 26 KRIV hoists up an interesting pizza-ona-stick “dish” featured in the Golden Buckle Foodie Awards at the 2016 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. See more foodie photos on page A13
TOP LEFT: Parade participants pass by in a H. Brown and Crew Trailriderz double-decker during Willow River Farms The Center SpringFest MS150 bike racing fundraiser on Sunday, March 6. The event is the largest fundraiser hosted by the assisted living facility located at 4073 FM 3318 in Brookshire. BOTTOM RIGHT: The Center leadership pose for a photo at their Sunday, March 6, SpringFest MS150 event, which is the largest annual fundraiser for the Willow River Farms facility. Pictured are San Felipe town alderman Brenda Newsome, Sealy Mayor Mark Stolarski, Tara Keener, director of Willow River Farms, and Eva Aguirre, The Center Houston executive director and CEO. TOP RIGHT: Memorabilia is auctioned off at The Center SpringFest at Willow River Farms on Sunday, March 6, to help raise funds for the assisted living facility. Photos by Jason B. Hogan
See more event photos on page A13
The Sealy News • 193 Schmidt Road • P.O. Box 480 • Sealy, TX 77474 • phone: (979) 885-3562 • fax: (979) 885-3564 • www.sealynews.com
BibleQuote “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
IndexInside
Ag/Business......10 Classifieds....15 -16 Community........8-9 News Bits.............2 Obituaries........12 Opinion................4 Sports..............5-7
This week's weather
Epicurean PAGE A13
Day/High/Low/Rain Thursday 73/56/60% Friday 74 / 5 3 / 4 0 % Saturday 77/58/10% Sunday 8 5 / 5 5 / 10 % Monday 88/60/0% Tuesday 86/65/10% Wednesday 84/64/20%
This week's weather art is by Abigail Alvarez, a student at Selman Elementary School.
THE
Ex-Sealy Star wins national title. PAGE 5
Serving Sealy and Austin County, Texas since 1887 • Home of Juanita Perry Volume 129 Number 17
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016
18 pages, $1
County aids locals with debris drop-off location By JASON B. HOGAN reporter@sealynews.com
Austin County contracted the services of Tetra Tech and AshBritt to assist in relief and recovery after storms bombarded cities in the region for days last week. The county courthouse has been fielding clean up inquiries from residents since last Friday. Ray Chislett, county emergency management coordinator, has been working with the two companies to implement a plan of action for clean up. The court eventually plans to get its hands on as many rolling dumpsters as possible to expedite clean up and tackle major road and bridge repairs, especially severely damage outlying roads like FM 1094. For now, the county will focus on debris removal. The plan, after Monday’s meeting, is to at least temporarily use a trailer in possession of Pct. 4 Commissioner Doug King to take loads of debris to the Sprint Fort Bend County Landfill, a type IV
waste facility in Richmond, which commissioners find as one of the cheaper disposal methods if federal emergency reimbursement is not fulfilled. “It’ll cost you a couple hundred bucks to dump that whole trailer. It’ll cost you $200 to do that, or you can try and get the dumpsters and you can try and utilize the pickup and everything else. But if we don’t get reimbursed, that’s going to be a larger amount (of county dollars spent),” King said. King said he wants clean up started now. Citizens have had storm-lost items sitting in mounds at the curb for days, and by the time residents hear word of the county’s plans it will have been a week, he said. John Buri, Tetra Tech’s director of post disaster program, said his company documents everything through smart phones, such as material drop off. AshBritt contracts with the municipality, collects and disposes of debris, and passes the ■ COUNTY, page 18
The Sealy News/Roy R. Reynolds
Sealy city services workers help haul away saturated carpet and padding from townhomes along Eagle Lake Road Monday afternoon. A resident at the townhomes, Chrissy Hennessey, said two or three feet of water infiltrated the rental properties, ruining mostly carpet and drywall and IKEA furniture. Other homes and businesses were not so lucky, with much of the Sealy area going underwater last week.
Parting floodwaters leave behind damage and debris By JASON B. HOGAN reporter@sealynews.com
Sealy is beginning to compile damage estimates after its worst storm since May 2015, but mainly through a county initiative, which is attempting to recover
financial losses, state and federally. FEMA, the federal emergency relief organization, plays a key role in Austin County’s recovery efforts. Although FEMA might not hold the building blocks for
recovering the county’s DNA. Austin County Judge Tim Lapham said county officials have already received word from Governor Greg Abbott’s Office and the state issued a declaration on April 18 to back the
municipality’s recuperation process. The Texas Department of Emergency Management was expected to arrive in the county for an evaluation by the end of last week, ■ DAMAGE, page 18
School back in session for Sealy ISD By Roy R. Reynolds editor@sealynews.com
School bells rang again Monday morning for Sealy students, the somewhat dry hallways now teeming with scholars who were forced into a week’s break by the flooding in Sealy and southeast Texas last week. “We are back to business as usual,”
Sheryl Moore, Sealy ISD Superintendent said in an e-mail Monday morning. “Lots of people relocated and working from Plan B, but we are definitely having school.” Students clamored off the bus around 7:30 a.m. Monday to face the last handful of weeks in the ■ SCHOOLS, page 17
Car trips this summer will Furry friends float away in flood take lesser toll on wallets By Roy R. Reynolds editor@sealynews.com
By Roy R. Reynolds editor@sealynews.com
It might not feel like it, but gasoline at the pump is actually cheaper. The Department of Energy released their short-term outlook covering the summer driving season earlier this month, estimating that consumers will pay an average of around $2.04 a gallon, well under the $2.63 average for last year’s same season. Forecasting for the entire year, the agency said 2016 will give drivers their lowest fuel prices in 12 years, with an average of $1.94 a gallon.
In the Sealy area, the gasoline pump monitoring website GasBuddy shows almost all stations Friday posting a price of $1.89 a gallon, with Murphy USA breaking the trend with $1.84 a gallon. Of course, that’s ignoring the 9/10s of a cent tacked on to both prices. “It’s going to save the average family about $700 this year in fuel prices,” said Michael Green, a spokesman for AAA in Washington. “Of course in the rural areas like Sealy, people drive more and use more gas, so the savings might be even higher.”
Texas is already a bit below the national average, according to data from GasBuddy. The site reports a state-wide average of $1.90 a gallon, with a low pump price recorded of $1.59. And that’s at the time gasoline prices are most pricey. Gasoline prices usually peak in the weeks leading up to Memorial Day, as demand begins to increase and refineries began their regular cycle of maintenance, curbing supply. “Summer time is actually the peak demand,” Green said, “but refineries are all ■ GAS, page 17
The impact of floodwaters in Austin County were imminently noticeable over the past week, with carpets begin pulled out, furnishing stacked on curbs and mosquitos starting to make an appearance. But nestled outside of Cat Spring, down a road that became less-thannavigable during the rain, the Animal Friends Shelter still deals with larger losses. Like most other places in the area, clean-up has begun at the shelter, which housed about 18 dogs before the rains. But the destruction of the facilities makes the effort seem like sweep-
Courtesy photo
The Animal Friends Shelter near Cat Spring took the brunt of the storm, destroying facilities and leading to two canine deaths and three run-a-ways. ing a dirt floor. “Well, at least it’s an organized disaster,” said shelter president Kim Elder. “We will not rebuild here.” The Shelter, destroyed when the
water inundated the outdoor pens and offices, is still missing three dogs who went astray, including one featured just two weeks earlier ■ PETS, page 17
The Sealy News • 193 Schmidt Road • P.O. Box 480 • Sealy, TX 77474 • phone: (979) 885-3562 • fax: (979) 885-3564 • www.sealynews.com
BibleQuote "And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." 1 John 4:21
IndexInside
Ag/Business......16 Classifieds....14-15 Community........8-10 News Bits.............2 Obituaries............3 Opinion................4 Sports..............5-7
This week's weather
TxDOT releases information on I-10 upgrade MAPS ON PAGE 16
Day/High/Low/Rain Thursday 87/71/40% Friday 85/70/80% Saturday 78/67/80% Sunday 87/68/20% Monday 78/60/80% Tuesday 77/57/80% Wednesday 78/56/10%
This week's weather art is by Noah Pena, a five-yearold Selman Elementary student, finds optimism by combining rain and rainbows in this week's weather art.
2
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THE
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HUDDLE HOUSE
Plus Tax
2 Eggs with Grits OR Hash Browns AND Toast
6027 FM 3538 Rd. Sealy, TX 77474 979-627-7100
Present coupon when ordering. Limit one discount per coupon. May not be used with any other special, discount or coupon. Valid only at participating restaurants. ©2016 HUDDLE HOUSE, Inc. Cash Value 1/100th of 1 cent. Expires 08/29/16 672
Serving Sealy and Austin County, Texas since 1887 • Home of Albert Sustala Volume 129 Number 28
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2016
16 pages, $1
Bridge accident kills 1, injures 3 By JASON B. HOGAN reporter@sealynews.com
At approximately 9:50 a.m. on July 7, the U.S. Hwy 90 bridge in Sealy collapsed onto Hwy 36 crushing a white Chevrolet vehicle by tons of concrete killing a 12-year-old passenger, one of three in the car. The driver of the Chevrolet Malibu, Leah Bullock, 35, and mother of two children who were travelling with her, sustained serious but nonlife threatening injuries and was airlifted by Life Flight to Memorial Her-
mann Katy Hospital. Bre’in Bullock, 12, was pronounced dead at the scene by Austin County JP 3 Cheryl Kollatschny. Breandon Gardner, 9, who was riding in the back seat, escaped injury. A Texas Disposal Systems garbage truck was travelling southbound on Hwy 36 with its boom raised. The truck hit the warning markers at Hwy 36 and 10th Street, which caution the bridge height at 13 feet 9 inches, according to a driver who was following close behind and recording the incident with a Go
Pro camera. The TDS truck’s boom slammed into the north side of the Hwy 90 overpass causing the collapse. The truck driver, Carl Weige, 72, also sustain injuries and was taken to Memorial Hermann as well. Stacy Schmitt, director of communications for TDS, released a statement on behalf of the company: “We regret a TDS truck was involved in an incident impacting an overpass in Sealy, TX. We have been told ■ BRIDGE, page 9
Courtesy Photo/Mindy Blankemeyer
The Hwy 90 bridge at Hwy 36 in Sealy was struck by a TDS garbage truck on July 7 bringing concrete down on a passenger car and killing a 12-year-old occupant and hospitalizing another.
City wells given site corrections By JASON B. HOGAN reporter@sealynews.com
A few weeks back, an investigation was performed on the City of Sealy’s water wells and water system to test water quality, according to City Manager Larry Kuciemba. “They came out about two weeks ago and did an inspection,” he said of a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality visit. Chloroform tests were performed on the wells. Kuciemba said they revealed some things the city needed to correct. “There never was a
danger to the public,” Kuciemba said. “We’ve been very cooperative with TCEQ. Any information they needed over the last two years, we’ve given to them.” Jimmy Wright, the public utilities superintendent responsible for the water well checks, has submitted his resignation to the city. There was no firing on the city’s behalf, Kuciemba said. For the water well checks, there were only two samples submitted from two of four wells but it was being report that all four were completed, Kuciemba said. “That’s why the inspect came into play,” he said. “A week
later, he submitted his resignation.” Kim Kaiser, administrative services manager for the city, said Wright was employed 13 years by Sealy. TCEQ can come at any time for a random site inspection. Kuciemba said he does not know if TCEQ showed for an annual or impromptu site inspection “or somebody filed a complaint or concern and they had to investigate on that.” According to Andrew Keese of TCEQs media relations, the commission cannot confirm an investigation concerning the city’s water system at this time.
Mark Chesnutt headlines Sealybration By SHAWN LARSON
SEALYBRATION
figures for record-setter By JASON B. HOGAN reporter@sealynews.com
Unbelievably, the 2016 Sealybration festivities are already over — along with half of the summer vacation months, if anyone’s counting — and it’s back to the monotonous work-life balance like yesterday was only Friday. Though it is invariably scorching every year, the community never fails in its sup-
port of Sealybration. Sealybration is by far the largest event hosted by the Sealy Community Foundation on an annual basis. Many are wagering 2016 will surpass all of its predecessors. “It’s probably one of the best ones yet: the most softball teams we’ve ever had,” said foundation president Melanie Willingham. “It seems, so far, that attendance was up at the gate.”
“The best part was the Sealy Mattress donations and saying that they are going to do the same next year. So, we are very fortunate for that,” she said. Sealy is the original home of Sealy Mattress, the now-worldrenowned mattress company patented by Daniel Haynes in 1885. The Haynes Mattress Factory still sits at 305 Hardeman Street in ■ RECORD, page 9
editor@sealynews.com
Tradition lives here in Texas, where those good old fashion values and attitudes can still be found. Those same ideas can be found on Mark Chesnutt’s latest album “Tradition Lives,” as he brings his music back to the roots of traditional country music, or as Chesnutt likes to put it, “good old fashion honkytonk country music.” If you’re wondering if the there is still a market for that old fashioned style of music today, don’t blink, as of Friday it was already #6 on the Itunes chart. The album, though, took some time to
Photo by Shawn Larson
develop. Chesnutt recalls, “we worked for almost three years on it, trying to get the right songs, while I
was constantly touring.” Finally, now, after eight years of ■ MUSIC, page 9
The Sealy News • 193 Schmidt Road • P.O. Box 480 • Sealy, TX 77474 • phone: (979) 885-3562 • fax: (979) 885-3564 • www.sealynews.com
BibleQuote
"1)Truly my soul finds rest in God;my salvation comes from him. 2)Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." Psalms 62:1-2
IndexInside
Classifieds....13-14 Community........7-8 News Bits.............3 Obituaries............3 Opinion................4 Sports..............5-6
This week's weather
Sealy gains new economic partner PAGE 10
Day/High/Low/Rain Thursday 96/77/20% Friday 95/75/50% Saturday 92/75/10% Sunday 92/75/20% Monday 94/75/10% Tuesday 92/75/20% Wednesday 89/72/60%
All Grass Fed
This week’s weather art is by Ysrael Trevino, 5, a student of Selman Elementary.
State Inspected
Raise & Sell Wholesale & Retail Dorper Sheep, Boer Goats, Beef, Local Raw Honey, Chickens, Eggs & Turkey’s. All Free Range & We Process 1964 Hluchan Rd. Sealy, Texas • 713-447-7737 todos los animales alimentados con pasto Criadas y la venta al por mayor y al por menor de las ovejas Dorper, cabras Boer, carne de vaca, miel cruda local, pollos, huevos y Turquía Todo Rango libre y procesamos
THE
Sealy Tigers PAGE 5
Serving Sealy and Austin County, Texas since 1887 • Home of Dwayne Virnau Volume 129 Number 37
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
20 pages, $1
9/11:15 years later By JASON B. HOGAN
Bellville may be ‘Best’ yet
editor@sealynews.com
It’s been 15 years since this country’s citizens have consciously chosen to remember, recall and reflect but never forget the terror that overtook New York City one Tuesday morning, and the somberness and disbelief that followed. Each year, the country recalls those fateful moments on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and the years of wartime that followed. Now, for the fourth year, the Texas Fallen Heroes Remembrance Program, sponsored by Woodmen of the World, has led the way in helping Sealy residents honor those that have lost their lives over the last 15 years. Each time, the Rolling Thunder, Texas Chapter 2 group, brings its 9/11 Memorial Wall, where Texas service member names, accompanied with photos, are depicted. “Our nation’s first responders provided care for the victims of 9/11 while our nation’s military took the fight from our backyard to our enemy’s front door,” Sealy Mayor Mark Stolarski said to a crowd at the Levine Park pavilion on Sunday. “Today’s program is a solemn event of remembrance. “Today we take time to remember – and honor – our fellow Texans who gave their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy here at home, away from the horrors of war and terrorism,” he said. One more name was added to a list of service ■ 9/11, page 20
By JASON B. HOGAN editor@sealynews.com
Sealy News/Holly Galvan
A member of the Waller High School Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps prepares to place a hat on a plate at the missing man table on Sept. 11 during a ceremony at Levine Park to honor Texans in the military who have died fighting wars since the 9/11 terror attacks and to remember those from all wars who are missing in action.
Growth and commerce is all the rage in Austin County and Bellville has been wanting to jump head-deep into the fray as well, and may have found its moment through the hospitality industry. Bellville City Council, Economic D e v e l o p m e n t Corporation and chamber of commerce are immersing themselves in a partnership that will eventually lead to a Best Western coming to the north side of the county. “We’re working with developer Oldam Goodwin [Group, LLC]. The (Bellville) EDC and council just signed a nonbinding agreement so that they can pursue the hotel further,” said Nancy Dornon, Bellville Chamber executive director. They are wellknown in the hospitality business in Bryan/College Station, TX. Hunter Goodwin, former NFL pro tight end turned commercial real estate developer, has been key in forming the partnership with the city. He is an owner and operator for their 11 locations. When the city outstretched its hand for assistance, they wanted someone that understood the Bellville identity, and ■ BELLVILLE, page 19
Constitution City to adopt hunting ordinance Day, Sept. 17 By JASON B. HOGAN editor@sealynews.com
On Sept. 17, the United States celebrates Constitution Day, a day that honors the birth of the nation. According the National Archives and Records Administration, the Federal Convention convened in the State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. Because the delegations from
only two states were at first present, the members adjourned from day to day until a quorum of seven states was obtained on May 25. Through discussion and debate it became clear by mid-June that, rather than amend the existing Articles, the Convention would draft an entirely new frame of government. All ■ HONOR, page 19
Fall hunting season began two weeks ago and complaints from those “standing” in the line-of-fire from raining, discharged pellets have not stopped since. Dove season traditionally begins on Sept. 1 each year, but this time the season gets a 20-day extension and proceeds into the month of January. There are various conditions to meet acceptance for a license or permit to hunt, and once obtained there are guidelines that must be adhered to, such as discharging weapons in an area that send projectiles over adjacent property lines. For the moment, it is legal to hunt and discharge firearms within the incorporated city limits of Sealy, but that may change following the acceptance of a city ordinance, which would
deem it illegal, although it has yet to be voted on. “(The ordinance) would prohibit firearms from being discharged in the City of Sealy,” said City Manager Larry Kuciemba. Currently, there are no ordinances on the books that are prohibitive of dove hunting in the city limits. “Hunters start shooting and pellets go everywhere, and we’re concerned about health and safety,” Kuciemba added. There would be exceptions to said ordinance, Kuciemba said, such as if a resident’s life is endangered or exclusivity to law enforcement. On Sept. 6, at the last city council meeting, residents lined chairs spread out in front of city council to vent their frustrations with hunters — albeit not the practice and
season itself. “At the Donut Palace — they were shooting on that property and
Quail Meadows,” Kuciemba said, and ■ HUNTING, page 20
The Sealy News • 193 Schmidt Road • P.O. Box 480 • Sealy, TX 77474 • phone: (979) 885-3562 • fax: (979) 885-3564 • www.sealynews.com
BibleQuote
"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. " Psalm 127:1
IndexInside
Ag/Business......17 Classifieds....11-13 Community........14 News Bits.............3 Obituaries............3 Opinion................4 Sports..............5-8
This week's weather
Submit a photo PAGE 17
Day/High/Low/Rain Thursday 86/73/60% Friday 85/72/60% Saturday 86/72/60% Sunday 86/71/60% Monday 86/71/30% Tuesday 87/70/40% Wednesday 87/70/20%
This week’s weather art is by Rylee Sommers, 6, a student of Selman Elementary.
WWW.SEALYNEWS.COM
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 ■ PAGE 17
AROUND
SEALY NEWS
TEXAS
Nationwide injunction granted against unlawful overtime rule AUSTIN – Today, a federal judge granted a nationwide preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of Labor’s unlawful new Overtime Rule. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is co-leading a twenty-one-state coalition, along with Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt. The new overtime rule more than doubled the salary threshold for a worker to be entitled to overtime, which would force many state and local governments, as well as private businesses, to substantially increase their employment costs. After obtaining the injunction, Attorney General Paxton said: “The Obama administration proved true to form when it ordered the Department of Labor to revise its interpretation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Namely, the administration assumes that through
force of will alone, it could order a new economic reality into existence. The finalized overtime rule hurts the American worker. It limits workplace flexibility without a corresponding increase in pay and forces employers to cut their workers hours. All in all, it exchanges the advantages of negotiated benefits, personal to each worker, with a onesize-fits-all standard that only looks good in press statements. Not on my watch.” In granting the injunction, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant admonished: “the Final Rule ... is contrary to the statutory text and Congress’s intent” and “Congress, and not the Department, should make that change.” Because of the court’s injunction, the new rule will not take effect on December 1, 2016 anywhere in the nation.
FBI searching for qualified candidates To best protect our nation, the FBI must attract qualified candidates of different racial and ethnic backgrounds who represent the communities we serve. The FBI will hold a Diversity Agent Recruitment (DAR) event in Houston in January 2017. We ask that you please help us by identifying local professionals who are interested in applying for the Special Agent position and encourage them to submit their resume to Houston
DAR Talent Network. The deadline to do so is Dec. 23, 2016. The FBI will review the resumes and invite qualified individuals to the DAR event. Participants who apply through the DAR program will be tracked through an accelerated testing and selection process. Candidates for special agents must be US citizens between the ages of 23 and 36. More information about FBI careers can be found at www.fbijobs.gov.
H-GAC launches Regional Building Inventory interactive app Interested in learning more about the region’s construction patterns and trends over the past 30 years? The HoustonGalveston Area Council’s new interactive web application, the Regional Building Inventory Snapshot (2015), makes it easy. This new app, one of 33 offered by H-GAC, explores the 2015 regional building inventory and analyzes development patterns based on a building’s year of construction, building type, housing units, and nonresidential square feet. The app also allows users to compare annual development density for both residential and non-residential areas. “The application helps local planning agencies better understand the dynamics of new construction and redevelopment activity in their respective jurisdictions,” said Pramod Sambidi, H-GAC’s Socioeconomic Modeling Program Manager. “Analyzing
these patterns can assist local communities in designing strategies and making recommendations for sustainable future development.” The app is powered by H-GAC’s Building Inventory Database, based on appraisal data collected and processed from individual County Appraisal Districts in Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties. The Regional Building Inventory Snapshot app is available at www.hgac.com/go/buildinginventory using filter keywords “Land Use” and “Planning.” H-GAC’s interactive web applications provide information in a convenient, easy-to-use format. Topics include Community Planning, Demographics, E c o n o m i c s , Environmental Planning, Land Use, and Water Quality. For more information, e-mail cegis@hgac.com.
Photo by Joe Southern
Sealy Mayor Mark Stolarski watches as smoke billows from a cannon his crew just fired Nov. 19 during a battle reenactment during the Civil War Weekend at Liendo Plantation near Hempstead. Stolarski is a member of the 12th Texas Cavalry reenactment group and participated in the annual event.
Data shows Texans broadly support women’s privacy legislation HOUSTON — A number of public polling surveys over the past year have found that Texans support proposals by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and other Republicans to restrict the use of women’s restrooms, locker rooms and showers to women. In a recent survey commissioned by Texans for Dan Patrick that drilled down on those attitudes, the data revealed that a majority of Texas voters, including men and women, Democrats and Republicans, urban/suburban and rural dwellers and every racial and ethnic group, agree that use of public restrooms should be restricted by gender. Specifically, when Texans were asked if elementary, middle school or high school girls should be forced to use the same restrooms, lockers or showers at the same time as boys, 77 percent of Texans voters said no. This view is held by equal numbers of men and women and by all racial and ethnic groups. Opposition to boys and girls sharing bathrooms in public schools is highest among African-American, 86 percent of whom are opposed. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of all Texas voters believe it should be illegal for a man to enter a women’s restroom. That includes 56 percent of Democrats. There is little difference in response to this question between male and female voters, and very little difference among AfricanAmerican and Hispanics. Just one in five (21 percent) oppose this proposal. Opponents are primarily Anglos who identify themselves as liberals. When Texans were told that some businesses believe legislation prohibiting men from using women’s bathrooms “might look discriminatory and could hurt businesses,” opinions do not change substantially as 68 percent still support the proposed law to prohibit men from entering a public women’s shower, locker room or restroom.
Finally, when informed that some college sports organizations and professional sports groups might boycott Texas if the state passed a law prohibiting men from entering women’s restrooms, almost half (46 percent) of Texas voters
said they would boycott the organizations by stopping watching their televised games or purchasing their merchandise. The poll was conducted by Baselice & Associates from Nov. 1-4, 2016 shortly after several Texas business
Oct. 2, 2016
groups announced opposition to restricting access to women’s restrooms because they fear retaliation from national organizations that have threatened to boycott states that do not allow men to go into women’s restrooms if they want to.
Feb. 16, 2017
4 p.m.
7 p.m.
Nov. 1, 2016
April 2, 2017
7 p.m.
4 p.m.
Ticket Information
Tickets are $30 for each performance Season tickets are $100 for all four shows
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