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Sharkettes Hit TheCourt

WEDNESDAYAug.12, 2020

VOL. 113 • NO. 31

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Sharks gearing up for season’s kickoff...

Palacios ISD finalizes hire of new Supt. Chapman

(See CASES, Page 2)

Census workers at Library to assist submitting forms

See Page 2

New Set Of Wheels For

R-Transit

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

(See FILING, Page 3)

ThE Palacios Sharks wrapped up the first week of practice in what is sure to be a season to remember, assur-edly more on and off the gridiron. The Sharks enter their third year under head coach Chad Graves and with back-to-back bi-district appearances under their belt and are hungry for more. (ABOVE) Second year starting quarterback Anthony White readies the handoff exchange with senior Shark tailback Gary Haynes, III. For more on the Sharks’ first week of practice see Page 10. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West)

Filing deadline nears in MCND, PISD elections

A pair of filing deadlines are on the horizon for po-tential candidates to secure a place on the November bal-lot for one of two seats up for grabs on the Matagorda County Navigation District #1 Board of Commissioners and a seat on the Palacios ISD Board of Trustees.

The filing period for the MCND ballot in November for Pos. 3 and Pos. 4 comes to and end on Mon. (Aug. 17), while the deadline to file Pos. 4 on the PISD Board is next Thurs. (Aug. 20).

Thus far, there has been one candidate file for either

Styles By Rosie received the first Palacios COVID -19 Small Business Emergency Grant. The grant was awarded by the Presbyterian Aid Fund, an outreach of the First Presbyterian Church Palacios in partnership with the Palacios Economic Development Corporation. The grant offers grants to small businesses facing chal-lenges due to COVID. This is a forgivable grant up to an amount of $2,500.00 awarded to Palacios Businesses meeting the criteria. (Submitted Photo)

The Census Bureau will have someone at the Palacios Li-brary on August 14th from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to help families complete their Census Form.

For those who do not know why the Census to so impor-tant for each family to complete for the City of Palacios and Matagorda County please read the information below.

Why We Conduct This CountThe census provides critical data that lawmakers, business

owners, teachers, and many others use to provide daily ser-vices, products, and support for you and your community. Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hos-pitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on census data.

School finance is complicated, which is why PISD trustee Lisa Harrison asked, “We don’t have to decide on this to-night, do we?” But the budget will have to be hammered out by the end of the month in a “Special Called Meeting.”

At last Thursday’s Special Called Meeting and Board Bud-get Workshop, the first order of business was to officially hire Dr. William (Bill) Chapman as Superintendent and approve an employment contract.

Dr. Chapman joins Palacios ISD after having served as Superintendent, most recently, at Jarrell ISD. Dr. Chapman worked previously in the following public school districts in Texas: Coldspring-Oakhurst, Willis, Huntsville, and Corpus Christi. A lifelong Texas resident and the child of two career educators, Dr. Chapman earned his Bachelor’s Degree in His-

tory from the University of Texas at San Antonio and also has a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Sam Houston State University. Further, Dr. Chapman obtained his Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from Sam Houston State University.

Dr. Chapman has worked in different roles within Texas public school districts, as he began his career as a teacher/coach at Moody High School in Corpus Christi and worked his way up through several administrative positions, includ-ing assistant principal, associate principal, principal, and as-sistant superintendent before he joined Jarrell ISD as superin-tendent, a role he held for the last eight years.

Dr. Chapman believes in making decisions based on the needs of students and in creating choices and opportunities for each and every student.

PISD is excited to have Dr. Chapman lead the District and serve the students, staff, parents and entire community of Pa-

lacios ISD.Other Items

Next, Operation Connectivity Interlocal Acquisition Agreement with Region 4 Education Service Center for Technology Purchases was approved. This agreement provides for a 50/50 split with the State of Texas to purchase technol-ogy (laptops, etc.) necessary for re-mote learning and create the ability to go fully online.

Finally, the Board Budget Work-shop was conducted by Christie Miller, Director of Business & Op-erations, who stated, “The more

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

COVID-19 cases in MC top 700 with 347 active

Dr. William ‘Bill’ CHApMAN

New PISD Superintendent

Matagorda County saw the total number of COVID-19 cases surpass the 700 mark in one of the area’s best week’s of new transmissions of the virus over the past week.

However, local leaders continue to say now is not the time to let up, but instead remain committed and vigi-lant in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Facebook LIVE broadcast, Matagorda Coun-ty Judge Nate McDonald and Bay City Mayor Robert Nel-son briefed residents from the Matagorda County Emer-gency Operations Center.

McDonald urged citi-zens of Matagorda County to “continue to do the right thing” as the battle against the novel coronavirus wages on.

“Wear a mask, socially dis-tance, sanitize and help each other out,” McDonald said were keys to helping contin-ue the virus’ spread.

Styles by Rosie awarded grant from Presbyterian Aid Fund

(See CASES, Page 2)

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Palacios BeaconProudly Serving The City By The Sea Since 1907

DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAYPage 2 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., August 12, 2020

Sponsored by thePalacios Beacon

CASES(Continued From Page 1)

PISD (Continued From Page 1)

RON

PISD TruSTeePOS. 5

The following have paid to have their names listed as candidates for Pos. 3 on the Palacios ISD Board of Trustees. The cost for the Candidate Listing is $30. The cost for the candidate listing plus a one time candidate announce-ment article is $50. The deadline for inclusion in the Candidate Listing or to submit a candidate announcement article is 5 p.m. Friday.

LAWS[Pol. Adv. pd for by Tammy Hill, Treasurer,

222 Welch. Ave, 77465]

CANDIDATELISTINGS

updated 05/21/204:00 pm

C O V I D -19 : What to Do

6’Stay 6 feet away from all people not in your household.

Wash hands often for 20 secondsand encourage others to do the same.

When soap and water aren’t available, use hand sanitizer withat least 60% alcohol.

Please wear a face covering.Cover coughs and sneezes with a disposable tissue.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Disinfect surfaces, buttons, handles, knobs and other places touched often.

Stay away from people who are sick.

For updates and more information, visit dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus. Dial: 211 COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line:

1.833.986.1919T E X A SConnecting People and Services

or: Visit: 211texas.org

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we raise in local taxes, the less we receive from TEA,” which creates quite a jug-gling act for school districts in Texas.

Knowing that the amount of funding PISD will receive from the state won’t be made available until well after the date that the district must fi-nalize a budget, Miller said that she referred to “Omar’s Template,” a service of BOK Financial, developed and maintained by Omar Garcia and used by the majority of Texas school districts in de-veloping annual budgets.

Using that service, Miller determined that PISD will receive approximately $2.65 million in state revenue, and stated, “There’s a good chance that number’s cor-rect,” and estimated a $1.5 million deficit for the up-coming school year at PISD.

Next MeetingA Regular Board Meeting

will be on Aug. 13, at 6:30 p.m., and the budget and tax rate will be finalized at a Special Called meeting on Aug. 31, at 6:30 p.m.

New set of wheels for R-TransitThe Golden Crescent Regional Plan-

ning Commission (GCRPC) was recently awarded a Federal Transit Administration Bus and Bus Facilities grant in the amount of $298,500 by the Texas Department of Transportation to replace four aging fleet vehicles used to provide rural public trans-portation throughout the Golden Crescent region. Based on the GCRPC Asset Man-agement Plan, GCRPC was able to replace vehicles in Jackson, Matagorda, Goliad, and Lavaca County with 2020 Lonestar Promaster 1500s which are fully ADA-compliant and configured to transport up to 8 passengers.

The Friends of Elder Citizens, Inc. has partnered with GCRPC as a subcontrac-tor providing transportation services for Jackson and Matagorda counties for many years. In addition to the general public transportation services, FOEC Inc. also provides trips through the “Choose My Ride” program, a program that offers transportation services to the elderly and individuals with disabilities at no cost to the passenger.

Matagorda County R Transit is one of

several service programs through Friends of Elder Citizens providing assistance to the citizens of Matagorda County. R-Tran-sit is considered the main transportation service for Matagorda County. Its mission is to provide safe, courteous, and reliable transportation services to the general pub-lic while striving to increase awareness and participation. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimina-tion on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs receiving federal finan-cial assistance.

R-Transit also accepts Medicaid for those who qualify for medical transportation.

“Why drive when you can ride”R-Transit is here for all your transpor-

tation needs; grocery store, pharmacy, lei-sure and doctor appointments. 48 hours advanced notice is required for out of county trips. Call Dianna Zboral, Matago-rda Co. R-Transit Mgr. Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. at (979) 245-6800

For more information on FOEC ser-vice programs call: FOEC Executive Director, Julia Gonzales (361) 972-9921 or email at: foec.inc@gmail.com.

PICTURED are: (left to right) Shawn Fennell, Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission (GCRPC)} Transportation Program Coordinator, Dianna Zboral, Matagorda Co R-Transit Manager and Praxedes (Coco) Quintania, Matagorda Co R-Transit Mg/Driver. (Submitted Photo)

“We need to double down”, McDonald urged, despite the appearance of the numbers going down. “We do not have the virus down and in submission. We need to all stay committed. The virus is still here and it’s not going away anytime soon.”

With a total of 66 new cases identified, the Matago-rda County COVID-19 total grew from 673 to 739 as of Aug. 9. Of the 739 total cas-es, 347 are active.

There were a total of 41 recoveries added to the ranks as the number climbed from 320 to 361. Five new deaths were attributed to COV-ID-19 in Matagorda County and brings the total up to 26.

In testing results reported by Palacios Community Medical Center, a total of 27 tests were performed and 10 new positive results for CO-VID-19 were confirmed with six from residents of Palacios and four from non-Palacios residents.

PCMC has confirmed 36 positive tests in Palacios resi-dents and 11 in non-Palacios residents out of 166 total tests performed.

Bird NotesCathy Wakefield(361)404-1198

International Crane Foundation - Volunteer

Some of this column’s contributors have been “bird-ing” every Friday. Edith Gower and Margaret Doughty have shared their bird sightings from Oyster Lake, San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge and other great bird-ing spots. Today, at Oyster Lake, they reported seeing the following: Black Skimmers, Forsters Terns, Ameri-can Oyster Catchers, Ruddy Turnstones, Brown (?) Pel-icans; White and White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbills; Reddish, Snowy and Great Egrets, American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts and many more. I think reced-ing high tides from Hurricane Hannah left lots of for-age species exposed including amphipods, polychaete worms, mud and fiddler crabs, grass shrimp, diatoms and other long mud flats and in the saltmarsh.

Here in Wisconsin we heard Canada Geese and saw Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, Mourning Dove and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Bewick’s Wrens and American Robins, and a variety of sparrows (I need to relearn their calls). were abundant along the wood-land trail this morning.

Palacios Beacon - Wed., August 12, 2020 - Page 3DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAY

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Individuals listed have been arrested and/or charged with an offense. Inclusion in this report does not imply that the person is guilty of any crime. The following are offense and arrest reports submitted by the Palacios Police Dept. to the Palacios Beacon as of noon Friday.

• Palacios Police Reports •

From the Police ChiefBy Police Chief David Miles

Do yourself a favor; turn off the television, Face-book and all the other technology that you deal with and take a walk down the Seawall or go sit in one of the parks. God created an awesome world out there.

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FILING (Continued From Page 1)

Campbell-HuittInsurance

328 CommercePalacios, TX

361-972-2551Auto-BondsBusinessHome &Flood

The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Represen-tatives, and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.

It's also in the Constitu-tion: Article 1, Section 2, mandates that the country conduct a count of its popu-lation once every 10 years. The 2020 Census will mark the 24th time that the coun-

try has counted its population since 1790.

Counting EveryoneParticipating in the census

is required by law, even if you recently completed an-other survey from the Cen-sus Bureau. A complete and accurate count is critical for you and your community, be-cause the results of the 2020 Census will affect commu-nity funding, congressional representation, and more.

ticket, with Pos. 3 incumbent Commissioner Jimmy Nee-ley filing for reelection last week.

Also up for grabs on the MNCD Board is Pos. 4, cur-rently held by Victor Egg-emeyer, who has yet to make his intentions known.

Filing packets may be picked up and turned in by the Mon.. (Aug. 17) dead-line at the Port of Palacios Administration Building, lo-

cated at 1500 Main St..The PISD Trustee race

added to the November bal-lot for Place 4 will seek to find a replacement for long-time Trustee Steven Stuhren-burg, who announced his res-ignation last month.

Filing paperwork may be picked up and must be turned in by the next Thurs. (Aug. 20) deadline) at the PISD Adminsitration Building, lo-cated at 1209 12th St.

Letters ToThe EditorSmall town liability now an asset...Dear Editor,

We bought a house here in 2013 which has become our home. My husband bemoaned leaving the close proximity of big box building material stores due to the many remodeling projects we had to look forward to. And, absence of known carpenters, electricians,and plumbers became a Big Secret so we thought, and that prolonged our remodeling prospects. Having lived in a small town, I forgot that everyone here knows ev-eryone here including the good and the not so good. Nobody wants to talk bad about someone because they will no doubt see them at the grocery store or church. As time went by it became 2020. Most of our remodel-ing projects were done and we began to settle in. Oh yes, we learned to love this little community with it's church on every corner vibe. Take a pick. If you are religious, there may be a church for you. If not, hang out in the evening on your front porch and see what people do when they are bored, tired of fishing. Well yes, people do get creative and often do the “remember when” thing.

Small towns are rife with big ideas, some genuinely good and others kind of busy, bored, and meddling. All us newcomers come to town, want to get involved and are often met with the overwhelming pushback packed away in the backpack of the natives who like things just the way they are. Well we discovered this place still values a handshake more than formality and the rules are based on seniority and that part never changes. But, I always thought that the most fun happens when people who don't think like you, get to air their ideas. And longevity in a small town DOES show sincere in-vestment in what you understand has created this com-munity. That would be several ethnicities who have a strong sense of community, living it out as they choose and caring for one another is so many ways and Chip and I are so very happy we came to live out our remain-ing years in Palacios because of the wonderful people who call this home. THANK YOU

Carol Woolf

CENSUS (Continued From Page 1)

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