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Island Moon The Island Newspaper since 1996

Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment

August 9, 2012

What happens on the Island leaves on Sunday

Around The Island

On the Rocks

By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com

As of this writing we are playing Chicken with Hurricane Ernesto. The storm is kicking up a ruckus from Honduras to the Yucatan pushing a tide of up to four feet and holding 3-5 inches of rain and heading for the Gulf of Mexico.

Usually when storms take the southern route into the Gulf they miss us but not before we get to play the Chicken game for a few days.

Every time we hear the prognosticators talking about the Cone of Uncertainty for a hurricane we can’t help but think of Monty Python and the Department of Funny Walks. Can’t they come up with a better name than the Cone of Uncertainty? It has a disconcerting ring to it like they don’t have any better idea than we do where the thing is going. Heck, the Moon Hurricane Prediction Department can come up with a Cone of Uncertainty. Tis the Cone of Certainty for which we strive.

Well, anyway we’ll see what the next few days hold but as of now Ernesto has been dropped to a Tropical Storm but that’s likely to change as he enters the Gulf. At its peak Ernesto had sustained winds of 80 mph, nothing to sneeze at but enduring 80 mph winds in exchange for five inches of rain doesn’t sound like such a bad tradeoff about now with 56% of the counties in the Lower 48 states in drought conditions.

Tropical Storm Gilma is out there too making its way across the pond. With apologies to anyone’s Aunt Gilma who wants to be hit by a storm named Gilma?

“Oh it was horrible. Gilma came through and blew all the doilies right off the table.”

Gilma.

Sewer line not Schlitterbahn Okay this just in from the Moon We Shouldn’t Have to Say This Department but here goes; the work going on along Whitecap these days is not the beginning of a new ride for Schlitterbahn… it’s a sewer line.

The first couple of times we were asked about this we laughed but then realized people were serious. We’ve searched the Schlitterbahn website and can’t find a single instance of Schlitterbahn designers fashioning a tube ride out of a sewer line but if they can then they need to share that technology with the world.

Nice water The fish are biting out on the jetties and the beautiful blue water continues to come in through the Packery. See the underwater photos

by Jay Gardner in this issue. The brutally hot weather we endured a few weeks back has let up a bit and we still aren’t having to do much Skeeter Dancing.

Next Publication Date: 8/16/2012

By Jay Gardner The weather has been absolutely perfect as of this writing in advance of Tropical Storm Ernesto. The green-blue water was pouring in the jetties the other day as we walked out to see what kind of trouble we could get into. Monday saw Bizzy, Curtis, Bumpy, Big Al, Kip, Dwade, Zep, Augs (back temporarily from Hawaii) and myself ruling the end of the south Packery Jetty. You could see the snook and mangroves checking the lures out in the very clear water. I was kicking myself for not

Year 15, Issue 435

Schlitterbahn Opening Pushed to March 2014

Developer: “No one is behind schedule, this is a go project”

By Dale Rankin The owner and developer of the Schlitterbahn Water Park and Resort on The Island said Tuesday that the original proposed opening date for the park of spring 2013 is now unrealistic and has set a target date of March 2014 for the opening.

the area east of the SPID is estimated to cost $552 million. In May the City of Corpus Christi approved an incentive laden tax relief plan which committed just under $5 million to build infrastructure at the site and also offered tax rebates of up to $117 million, $78 million of which comes from the hotel motel taxes on the new development.

The delayed opening date will not effect the tax agreement since developers are required to begin construction nine months after the

The park’s parent company is nearing completion on a new 220room hotel adjacent to their park in South Padre Island.

bringing my mask and snorkel, but the first clear water is always a surprise. Dwade eventually hooked up on a kingfish, and fought it up to the rocks. However, when Curtis went to leader the fish, the hook pulled out. Dwade won’t forget his gaff when he goes to the jetty again, I can assure you of that.

Kingfish running I’ve heard reports that kingfish are really thick at Bob Hall Pier currently, with many being landed on a daily basis. The tarpon are still around, which is a pleasant surprise. I’m hearing reports from bay guides that there is a pod of 4 footers hanging around Pita Island in the Laguna. Maybe I won’t sell my bay-skiff just yet if that’s going to be the norm in the Lagoon. Packery Channel is such an awesome deal; glad they got it built.

One gentleman, who was fishing with bait (most of the crew are purist – elitists who only throw lures, lol) was doing pretty good on mangrove snapper, although many of them were running a little small. He pulled up a lookdown fish (Selene vomer). These bright silvery fish have a sharp, steep forehead, and filamentous fins on their dorsal and anal fins. They are really pretty. We see lookdown fish circling the rigs (those that are left!) all the time, but because of their small mouths, people rarely catch them.

They are members of the Jack family, and are solid fighting fish. You won’t mistake one if you catch it. Although the small ones aren’t really worth fooling with, if you catch a large one, try eating it. They’re pretty tasty.

On the Rocks continued on page A2

Islanders Turn Out for Antiques Roadshow Islanders went rummaging through their closets and checking under their beds last week as the Antiques Roadshow came to town. In one of the largest turnouts in the 17-season history of the show an estimated 7000 people showed up with everything from fishing poles to samurai swords to a six-foot tall yawning baby carrying a torch and tire. The only thing missing was Santa Anna’s pencil box (turned out to be a replica).

The park’s co-developer Paul Schexnailder told the Island Strategic Action Committee Tuesday evening that the main season for a water park runs 90-120 days through the summer months and, “opening in the middle of the season is not good business.”

“The financing is committed, the term sheets are in hand,” he said. “The agreements for the parties involved are in draft form waiting for permits. We have sixty days of work still ahead of us before we put people in the field. We got the (permits) from Texas Department of Transportation (for the SPID Water Exchange Bridge) in the last ten days, and we expect to break ground in September. There is not anybody behind schedule, we are not behind schedule. This is a go project.”

He said the project has expanded in scope in the recent design phase with 70,000 square feet added to the portion of the park that will be under a retractable roof. He said the new design will be shown to the public, “as soon as Jeff finishes it.”

“We didn’t want to push forward with the project to try and meet an unrealistic schedule,” Henry said.

The 65-acre park is estimated to cost $41 million and will be located on a site that is currently part of the Padre Isles Country Club.

Adjacent to the park a 3500-foot Beach Walk is planned which will include retail, lodging, and a marina that will extend under SPID to the east side of The Island surrounding Lake Padre (Padre Sound). The entire project, including

Andry LaVoy found out that the Indian bird catcher he bought for $10 at a garage sale is worth $300 but the antique ice chest not so much.

Janice had a little better luck with her carnival glass bowl which turned out to be worth $90.

Tom was yet another victim of the Russian Revolution and the nationalizing of the railroads.

The event will be turned into three installments of the Antiques Roadshow which will air sometime in the show’s seventeenth season which begins in January.

What is not known is who the owner of the painting by an artist named “Kourin” - or something similar. It is said to be the highest valued item found so far this season by the Antiques Roadshow team - the Corpus Christi show was the next to last stop for this season’s shooting. It is valued between $850,000 and a cool $1 million dollars but the show’s producers are very tightlipped about dollar values until the shows actually air. We know of one Islander who took a painting to the show but haven’t heard from her since.

Stay tuned.

Dale Rankin

A master plan for the entire development is being done by Schexnailder, the Henry family, and local investor Willard Hammonds. Once complete the development is expected to generate about $259 million in revenue, after the city tax incentives, for local taxing districts with the Flour Bluff School District being the chief beneficiary receiving about half that amount.

At the ISAC meeting city planners said that on Tuesday they received a classification on the Water Exchange Bridge project from TXDot which they had been waiting on for ninety days. TxDot has classified the project as a “State Blanket Categorical Exclusion” which means permitting on the bridge can now move forward. The City Council has voted to fund the $6.8 million bridge with bond funds left over from the 2008 bond package. Original funding for the bridge was $1.4 million included in a 2004 bond package.

Swift Justice on the Border In August of 1915 South Texas was in turmoil. The Mexican Revolution was in full blossom south of the border and had just spilled over to the Norias portion of the King Ranch more than 70 miles from the border.

worthless.”

agreement was signed which calls for the first phase to be finished by the summer of 2013.

The water park, according to the agreement, must be finished within two years after the project breaks ground.

A Little Island History

By Dale Rankin

Islanders were in ready supply as Rick and Cameron Pratt showed up with an 1880s vintage shotgun (not worth much) and a custom made fishing rod (worth less). Amy Sullivan was there with her ancestor’s purple heart medal and World War II Japanese artifacts.

“The guy said they were Russian railroad stocks issued in the early 1900s,” Tom said.

“He said they were worth a lot of money in 1916 but in 1917 they were

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“A realistic, honest answer is that we can’t get there any sooner than that,” park developer Jeff Henry said. The park will take eighteen to twenty months to build and our tight schedule in our South Padre Park has caused some delays.”

Around the Island continued on page A5

Tom and Janice Farmer found out that their painting of a bug-eyed guy with a cigar who was Vice-President of Something Or Other was worth $300 but the news was not so good for the pieces of paper with the Russian writing on them.

The raiders were sympathizers of the reform movement in Mexico but by this time the Mexican Revolution had Balkanized as more than half a dozen factions in various parts of the country claimed to be the keepers of the revolutionary flame and the country had descended into chaos.

What U.S. Army leaders had thought was a factional fight between political interests in South Texas had turned out to be a fullfledged border war with raiding parties made up of both Mexican Nationals and some Hispanics of American origin mixing together to form the roving gangs that now had struck within a day’s ride of downtown Corpus Christi. The Wild Horse Prairie was on fire with rumors and wild stories – some of which might have even been true.

Ride to the sound of the guns The day after the raid on the King Ranch Cameron County Judge H.L. Yates telegraphed the Secretary of War “Was last night enough to bring adequate protection to the lower Rio Grande Valley, or are we still to be sacrificed again. I implore you to send adequate protection.” The judge wanted 1500 additional troops with artillery.

A few days later thirty bandits rode out of Mexico into Hidalgo Country, crossing the

river at Los Ebanos, and Sheriff A.Y. Baker formed up a posse and set out in pursuit.

For three days the posse and the bandits played hide and seek in the sweltering South Texas brush country as the bandits rode a full forty miles into Hidalgo before circling Edinburg and heading back to the Rio Grande.

Governor Pa Ferguson ordered the Texas Adjutant General to concentrate the entire Texas Ranger force, 39 men at the time, in South Texas. Railroads all over Texas offered

Texas Rangers free rides to Texas Rangers as they rode to the sound of the guns along the Rio Grande.

This was an emergency and Ranger Warrant of Authority served as their right of eminent domain to protect the state.

1200 rounds of .30.30 ammunition were rushed to Brownsville along with enough bandoliers to carry them. Under normal circumstances Rangers were required to provide their own horse but this was an History continued on page A5

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On the Rocks Continued from A1

Island Moon

Jetty diving

We were fishing the crowded end of the jetties the other day, and the water was gorgeous. I got in my snorkel gear and snapped a few pics on the surf side to about half-way out where there was no one fishing.

The end of the jetty was stacked with twenty-plus people, these two snorkelers decided to work all the way out, right underneath people. People were very upset, and several tried on purpose to snag the snorkelers. They KNEW what they were doing was wrong, but they continued anyway. From one spearfisherman to another, you guys had better be more courteous than that, or you’re going to get in trouble. If you want to snorkel the ends, do it in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, with a full sun. Play nice please.

Can’t remember the words I still have hummingbirds fighting over the feeder, so there must be several nests in the area. It’s important, especially at this time of

August 9, 2012

New Records for Green Turtles Nesting in South Texas

By Donna J. Shaver, Ph.D. Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery National Park Service Padre Island National Seashore e-mail: Donna_Shaver@nps.gov Field work for Padre Island National Seashore’s Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery has recently transitioned from Kemp’s ridley to green turtles.

year, to try to keep the feeders in the shade and change the nectar water often. I typically just make small, frequent batches instead of filling it all the way up. Around 5 tablespoons and a cup of water is all.

Most of the nesting season is behind us, and there are a bunch of fledglings running around.

I have three greater kiskadees hanging around in my yard, eating the mosquito fish out of my pond. They have short little stubby tails, weak flight with many comical crash landings, and of course they’re very vocal, hoping mom will appear out of nowhere and feed them like she used to. Thankfully the crackles have mostly fledged, that time of year they are really obnoxious.

Well, hopefully Ernesto didn’t mess things up too much for the water quality, although I’m sure the surfers will enjoy the waves. Maybe I need to put down the rod every once in a while and get out that old longboard and go paddle around out there. If I do, I’ll see YOU on the rocks, and you’ll see me In the water. I crack myself up sometimes.

Mystery Person of the Week

This week’s Mystery Person is this handsome fellow shown here during his tour of duty in Vietnam.

Last Week’s Mystery Person Revealed Our Mystery Person of the Week last issue was none other than long-time Islanders Gaye White back in the days when she was modeling.

Gaye now the runs the local office of State Representative Todd Hunter. She and husband John have lived on The Island for many years but recently moved OTB.

The Kemp’s ridley nesting season is over and we have released the hatchlings that emerged from the last of the Kemp’s ridley eggs in our care. Padre Island National Seashore staff and volunteers held the last public hatchling release of the year on August 4. We held a total of 29 public releases this year, and collectively more than 10,000 people attended. Many people traveled long distances specifically to attend. It was great to see everyone there!

We have not recorded any additional Kemp’s ridley or loggerhead nests since my last article two weeks ago. However, five green turtle nests were found from July 26 through August 1. Four of them were at the National Seashore and one was on South Padre Island, just south of the Mansfield Channel. The five found that week is the most green turtle nests that we have recorded in a week on the Texas coast since sea turtle nest record keeping began in the early 1980s. It was very exciting for us as you can imagine! Through August 5, seven green turtle nests have been documented on the Texas coast, which sets a new record for the number of green turtle nests found in a year in the state. The previous record was six nests, set in 2011. Six of the seven nests found this year were at the National Seashore and one was on South Padre Island.

Green and loggerhead turtles nest mostly at night and are much larger and heavier than Kemp’s ridley turtles. To locate nesting, each morning we search for the tracks left in the sand by the nesting females as they came ashore to nest and traveled back to the water after laying eggs. Due to their larger size, green and loggerhead tracks are much more prominent and easier to see than are Kemp’s ridley tracks. Our job would be so much easier if Kemp’s ridley tracks were that easy to see. However, locating the tracks is just part of what is needed for nest documentation and protection. We also need to actually find the eggs and that can be a challenge for green turtles since the nest cavity can be very deep. It can take us hours of searching, but it is worth it so that the eggs and hatchlings receive protection and the best chance possible for survival.

Green and loggerhead turtle nesting could continue for about five more weeks. For the latest tally of sea turtle nests found in Texas, visit the Padre Island National Seashore website at www.nps.gov/pais. We also post updates about nests on our Facebook page titled Padre Island NS Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery. You can also view more photos of our Kemp’s ridley hatchling releases and green turtle nests on that Facebook page.

Occasionally some loggerhead or green turtle hatchlings are ready for release at the same time that we have scheduled a 6:45 am public Kemp’s ridley release and having them at a Kemp’s ridley release is an exciting “bonus” for the public. This occurred on July 27, when

41 loggerheads were released at the same time as 51 Kemp’s ridleys. Loggerheads are rusty brown in color and move much faster than Kemp’s ridleys. In fact, even though I put them on the beach after the Kemp’s ridleys, virtually all of the loggerheads made it into the surf first.

However, it is not possible for us to schedule a public releases for green or loggerhead hatchlings. It is difficult to predict how fast the eggs from these two species will hatch and when the hatchlings will enter their frenzy and

need to be released. Also, most of the releases of these two species occur during the night and it is not possible to hold public releases during the night because it would be too easy to inadvertently step on the hatchlings in the darkness. Hatchlings orient to the brightest area and we cannot use white light flashlights since the hatchlings would crawl toward those lights instead of the surf. When we release hatchlings at night we use two or three small red headlights as a light source to monitor the progress of hatchlings into the surf. The hatchlings are not affected by a few small red lights.

Lastly, I want to end my article this week by acknowledging a generous donation of 200 buckets to the turtle project by Mr. Tim Duncan, Manager of Ace Hardware on North Padre Island. The buckets will be used to aid with our nest detection and protection efforts. We will also use them to help us gather and store sand to use in our boxes that hold hatchlings prior to release. Thank you Mr. Duncan and Ace Hardware!

Yard of the Month

The yard of the month for August is awarded to Laura and Arthur Almanza at 15841 Grenadine. Their front yard explodes with color. The Almanzas also enjoy a breezy courtyard in front and an inviting Caribbean oasis in their back yard. Drive by to see this beautiful yard off Encantada and Cuttysark.

A neighbor suggested this yard to us. The Island Gardeners welcome suggestions, please call Dianne at 949-7684.

August 9, 2012

Island Moon

Gone Fishin’

Anyone Need Some Therapy?

The King Ranch was covered in a screen of fog this morning and the smell of the brush and soil spread across the water with the west wind. The old saying “Wind from the east fishing least, Wind from the west fishing best” has always been opposite here. I idled over the western grass line out into the deepest part of the open water. As we approached the deep gut small schools of bait were buzzing around in nervous patterns. The anchor slipped down to the bottom but the rope just hung slack without any wind. The first few minutes were too calm Summer Family Fun Fishing is still going full throttle and too quiet, but after the first trout rose and shook its head in attacks on bait. Deeper areas will also hold a defiance we got the bite going. The action of the bit more current and with that OXYGEN. The feeding trout and the sounds of our baits hitting Intracoastal Canal is the most consistent spot the surface woke up the masses of trout down when we get glassed off. The deep areas along on the gravel bottom. Soon we had poles going the KING RANCH Shoreline is where I’ve as fast as we could in the blinding rays of the been going when the wind dies as well as the rising sunrise. The predominant wind direction deep rocks in Baffin Bay. Big structure in big water will hold large groups of fish at one time making it easier to get a FRENZY going and turning your box into a mess of trout slime. I’ve been using the Texas Rattler Chatter Weights to make longer casts with small piggy perch in the light winds. Adding a small weight to your rigs with live croakers and piggy perch will also get you away from boat noise and displacement.

Catching Redfish when the water is slick is just about impossible from the boat unless you are along a deep drop off or running them around, especially with a boat load of anglers.

is from the Southeast and when it is opposite everything is off. As we enter the DOG DAYS of Summer we will have many mornings with variable winds that create some hard fishing conditions for anglers. This week I’ll try to make some suggestions to help with a few speed bumps in fishing this week.

Glassy conditions and West wind puts the morning sun in your face as well as the fish.

The bright rays of light pass easily through the still waters. Look for deeper areas to have a better bite when the surface is glassed off. The still conditions make it difficult for predatory fish to surprise small baitfish as they will see and feel the attack without the camouflage of shadows from waves and the turbulent water.

Trout will fire up to the middle and top of the water column from deeper hides to make

Island Residents Stan and Mary got their company HOOKED on these BoatHole Reds

Stuff I Heard on the Island

by Dale Rankin

Capt. Joey Farah (361)442_8145 Facebook: Farah’s Backwater Fishing Adventures

Randy Bishop was getting schooled by his daughter untill he caught this big Sow Trout from the King Ranch Shoreline

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Another problem fishermen have been seeing is the abundance of floating grass in the Lagoon.

This time of year the old mature grasses come loose and float to the shorelines and shallow bars.

The variable winds in the morning will scatter this grass everywhere in the Lagoon making for extremely difficult fishing especially with Lures. The shoreline south of Bird Island and Night Hawk will offer some good escape from the larger mats of grass and allow for anglers to use soft plastics and top waters. My GO-TO bait this time of year for drifting for Redfish are the LOGIC LURES TANDOM RIG. This twin bait rig is weedless and can be worked in heavy grass, shallow sight casting areas, in water less than two feet deep, and over oysters, rocks, and Jetty areas without hanging up. Try some of them out at Packery so you don’t loose your lure, Snook and Flounder Love them. They have a good rack of them over at the Hardware Store on North Padre’ and at Port A Outfitters.

The oldest trick in the book is a half or 3/4ounce gold spoon ripped over the flats in a stop and go pattern. Many summer days I burned up in my youth making long casts and fighting big reds in the last few weeks of summer. The grass will migrate back to the Western shorelines as afternoon winds pick up every day. A live pin perch hooked in the back under a mauler style cork will also tear the reds up. Piggy Perch work great but small PIN PERCH are tough and easy to catch. The flats between the Intracoastal and Emmort’s Hole as well as the shallow flats of the Boat Hole are as about as great of places for a long one hour drift as anywhere on earth.

The extremely shallow flats north of the High Lines in the Boat hole will always have some great redfish in there, but make sure you can get up and out of there before you shut down, it’s a long push back to deep water. Don’t assume there isn’t any reds around just because you don’t see them when you are running around.

Thick grass offers a great mid-day spot for redfish to hide and they have learned to stay down under the grass when boats wizz bye. The Dog Days of Summer can hold some of the best fishing of the year if you just slow down and enjoy these long days.

This week I’ll take on some common questions I’ve heard lately.

Does the delay in the Schlitterbahn opening mean it isn’t going to be built?

This is just one man’s opinion but no, it doesn’t mean that at all. I never was convinced the groundbreaking would happen in July like originally suggested. The city’s tax incentives were only approved in May and nothing on the project could move forward until the details of that plan were known. After that the financing, permitting, and design work had to be done, along with a jillion other details. Think of the scope of what is being proposed here; the park itself, not including everything around it, is going to be built in 18 months and will cost $41 million. Do the math; that means once they start they are going to spend $2.2 million per month.

Think of the logistics of that. It takes a lot of planning.

The entire project is going to cost $552 million, most of which will be spent in the first five years…$552 million in 60 months, that’s $9.2 million per month. You don’t just jump off into that without running down all the rabbit holes to make sure you don’t hit problems midstream.

The change in opening date isn’t anything but a speed bump. The opening date was set back because if the park wasn’t going to be open by the start of the tourist season next year then why rush, the ground breaking date is only going to move back by a few weeks and if you read the language from the developers in the story in this issue it’s pretty clear the project is moving forward.

Think of the latest development as something kin to your little brother eating too many bananas; it may cause some discomfort, but this too shall pass.

Is The Island being overlooked in the bond election set for next November like we usually are when bond packages are put together by our city?

This one is a little tougher. As it stands right now if the $55 million portion of the bonds that can be passed without a tax increase are the only ones that voters approve we will get $1.2 million for much needed improvements to the area by the JFK Bridge. Those are much overdue. In return we take on $7.7 million of debt so you can draw your own conclusion there.

If the parks portion of the bonds passes we will get some improvements – very minor – to Billish Park. That is pretty much the sum-total of what we stand to get out of a total of $108 million in spending - $89 million in bonds, and $44 million in utility improvements – with our share of the total bill at $15 million. That’s not a very good return on investment but the fact is we didn’t really ask for anything else so we got pretty much what we asked for, and that’s our own fault.

What is troubling to me are the $11.7 million in projects found under Proposition 8 in the bond package. These projects are scattered from

North Beach to the Airport but a good many are downtown which by my count means in the past decade our city has tossed in excess of $200 million at the downtown wall without much of anything sticking. In the 2004 bond election alone we spent $11.6 million for Phase 1 of the Bayfront Master Plan, then an additional $13 million in Phase II of the plan in the 2008 bond package. Think of what just a fraction of that could have done on The Island.

But what is most disturbing is the rationale I heard for including the $11.7 million in this package when the City Council voted on it at their last meeting.

Councilman David Loeb made a motion to use the $11.7 million to fund the next group of worn out streets as part of the total of an estimated $970 million it will take to fix our streets over the next ten years. He was voted down after it became clear that the reason Propostion 8 was on the list at all was because Mayor Joe Adame personally requested that it be put there. The reason he gave was telling, I quote: “That is something I ask staff to look at…and the reason for it…for instance David and this applies to your business too…when you bring a lender to town that’s interested in making a loan to one of your projects, there’s a certain route I think people take to sell them on the city. We need to put our best foot forward.”

Since when is it the business of our taxpayers to spend money on a route for potential investors so our mayor can close deals for his personal business? When our Island Political Action Committee was the first group in the city to endorse Mr. Adame for mayor before his first term it was exactly that kind of practice we thought we were sending him down there to stop, not to turn it to his own benefit. The fact that he would make such a statement on the record in a council meeting only shows how deep this sense of entitlement has ingrained itself into our city’s oligarchy.

When Loeb correctly pointed out that while aesthetics along “the route’ was a “want” while streets were a “need” he was voted down and Item 8 went on the ballot.

Later in the meeting it came to light that a project on Chaparral Street that was listed at $2 million has now ballooned by $4.6 million to more than $6 million Mayor Adame responded by cutting off debate. The fact that a drive down Chaparral Street will show that you can’t swing an earmark without hitting an Adame real estate sign only ads fuel to the fire.

It’s starting to look like the best way to save taxpayer dollars is to simply paint nice pictures on the inside of the windows of the Mayor’s car so he can show his investors a nice “route” without us having to pay $11.7 million for it.

Mayor Adame has done much to improve our city government in his three-plus years there, but justifying an $11.7 million outlay to spruce up the route for his private investors and then trying to persuade another council member to go along by saying it will help him close private deals too is greatly disturbing to say the least.

From where I sit Proposition 8 should be voted down cold.

If the Election Were Held Today

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This is the electoral map as it looks today, with no toss-up states. The darker states are Obama, lighter states go to Romney. Source- realclearpolitics.com

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Larry Joe Taylor

Island Moon

August 9, 2012

Legislative Update

Todd Hunter, District 32

Hurricane Season Be Prepared and Have a Plan in Place On June 1, 2012, we officially entered the hurricane season and from mid to late August we will be entering the most active part of the season. It is important to be prepared during hurricane season because it can help keep both you and your family safe. The 2012 hurricane season as mentioned started on June 1 and will end on November 30, 2012. According to the National Hurricane Center, the peak of hurricane season goes from mid-August to late October and it is during this time that most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Basin.

It is important to note though that dangerous hurricanes can happen at any time during hurricane season.

Larry Joe Taylor played the Back Porch Saturday August 4th

Frio River Song Fest Padre Island in Concan, TX Business Association Tuesday, August 14 @ 5:30pm FBBA Mixer Raceway Cafe at Funtrackers, Flour Bluff Rd FOOD! DRINKS! FUN! FREE GOLF! Come support our Flour Bluff neighbors and network!

Tuesday, August 21 @ 5:30pm PIBA Monthly Mixer The Office Lounge - Padre Island Co-hosted by CBS Mowing Food, Beverages, Networking!

Bring your business card for door prizes!

If any business would like to donate a door prize, call 949-9498 or email info@ padreislandbusiness.org

Lisa Fitzsimmons

Liz Foster, Kelley Mickwee, Ronnie Narmour and Lisa Fitzsimmons in Concan

Texas Sales Tax Holiday Weekend a Week Away - August 17 to 19 Texas Comptroller Susan Combs reminds shoppers they can save money on everything from pens, jeans and shoes to backpacks and other items priced under $100 during the state’s annual sales tax holiday.

All four counties currently in District 32-Aransas, Calhoun, San Patricio and Nuecesare included among the 14 Tier One counties along the Texas coast. This means that these counties are most likely to be affected if a hurricane makes landfall. It is important that our area, as well as all Texans, prepare for hurricanes by staying informed, creating a disaster plan and following necessary steps to keep their families safe.

When hurricanes make landfall or get close to land, they can affect the lives of thousands of Texans along the coast and across the State of Texas. There are various tips on being prepared in case of a hurricane. Some of the tips include the preparation of a family disaster plan. A family disaster plan includes planning for hazards that could affect your family as well as home. Vulnerability to storm surge, flooding and wind should be reviewed. You should locate safe rooms or places in your house to store items if a hurricane hazard develops. It is important that families determine evacuation and escape routes from your home and places to meet in case of an emergency. Also, have an out-of-state friend as a family contact so that all family members have a place of contact. Don’t forget to plan for taking care of your pets in case of evacuation.

families need to create a disaster supply kit.

In addition, families need to create a disaster supply kit. The National Hurricane Center suggests that your disaster supply kit should include such things as: • Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation

This year, the sales tax holiday is scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 17-19.

• Food, at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food

“Shoppers across Texas can take advantage of the three-day sales tax holiday and save extra money for their budgets,” Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said. “Families gearing up for the new school year would not pay any sales tax for many back-to-school items from clothing and footwear to school supplies during that weekend.”

• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both

Lists of apparel and school supplies that may be purchased tax free can be found on the Comptroller’s website at: www.

TexasTaxHoliday.org.

• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

• Flashlight and extra batteries • First aid kit • Whistle to signal for help

• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

This year, shoppers will save an estimated $64.8 million in state and local sales taxes during the Sales Tax Holiday.

• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

The tax holiday weekend has been an annual event since 1999.

• Local maps

• Manual can opener for food • Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar

charger Living along the coastline also means preparing for hurricanes by retrofitting your house. It is important to strengthen the outside of your home so wind and objects do not tear openings in your roof or walls. Some people may want to find out about flood insurance. The National Flood Insurance is a pre-disaster flood program designed to reduce flood disasters.

The National Flood Insurance program can be called at 1-888-CALL-FLOOD, Extension 445.

In addition to getting your family, pets and homes safe and prepared, there are various state websites for hurricane preparedness and evacuation, including telephone numbers.

Some important contacts include Statewide Road Conditions which can be called at 1-800452-9292 and going to Texas Online - The Official Portal of Texas at www.texasonline. com.

You can also go to my website which will provide you links, websites to various sources for hurricane preparedness, planning for an evacuation, tips on hurricane preparedness as well as state and federal government resources.

Also, if you are elderly or disabled and need hurricane evacuation assistance, you can call 2-1-1. This service will assist you in hurricane evacuation.

Another great source to help with your hurricane preparedness is the National Hurricane Center (NHC) which can be found at www.nhc.noaa.gov/ . On the NHC site you can find additional tips on hurricane preparedness, hurricane tracking charts, and up-to-date reports on weather activity occurring in the Atlantic Basin along with many other things.

Overall, being prepared for a hurricane and living in a coastal region is very important.

Hopefully, this will continue to be a quiet and safe season.

As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).

Rep. Hunter represents Aransas, Calhoun, Nueces (Part) and San Patricio Counties. He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house. state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.

Monument for Texas’ Vietnam Veterans Being Built

Work on a 14-foot bronze sculpture honoring Texas’ Vietnam veterans is underway at the Deep in the Heart Art Foundry in Bastrop. The monument, which will honor the hundreds of thousands of Texans who served in Vietnam, was approved by the Texas Legislature in 2005 through a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (D-McAllen) and Rep. Wayne Smith (R-Baytown), both Vietnam veterans.

The state provided a $500,000 matching grant administered through the Texas Historical Commission (THC), and a committee has since been established which raised 80 percent of the necessary funds to move forward with the project.

The 14-foot bronze sculpture features five infantry figures poised in patrol positions.

On the base surrounding the unit are panels depicting naval, artillery, medical, and aviation services that support the combat patrol.

The 3,415 Texans killed in Vietnam will be remembered by “dog tags” personalized with each individual’s name, service, hometown, and Plaza date of loss, and will be entombed inside the monument.

Owen Temple in Concan

Peewee's Animal Shelter Peewee’s Animal Shelter is located at 1307 Saratoga and has been in operations since May, 1997. Peewee’s presently houses over 300 animals, including dogs, puppies, cats, kittens as well as, pigs, goats, rabbits and other barn animals.

Peewee’s relies on donations only for its operation.

Shelter operations are accomplished strictly by donations.

Peewee’s does not get any government, city or federal funding.

Peewee’s helps those animals no one else will - the sick and the stray. The volunteers at Peewee’s work tirelessly to rehabilitate poor orphaned pets in the hopes that they will find new, loving homes. The dogs and cats are spayed/neutered, given regular heartworm preventative, and are on flea & tick prevention and medications as needed. Peewee’s does not discriminate due to age or health conditions of the pet. Please visit Peewee’s Pet Adoption World & Sanctuary at 1307 Saratoga Road. You can call them at 361888-4141 but they do not have staff to answer phones so please leave a message.

Located in the Alta FullLoma Service 14254 SPID, Suite 109 Catering and 949-4848

Gourmet Take Out

The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument will be installed on the northeast side of the Capitol grounds and is tentatively scheduled to be unveiled in the fall of 2013.

Joan (361) 949-4848 Offering Gourmet Take-Out Meals Sowash Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday AuntSissysKitchen@stx.rr.com www.AuntSissysKitchen.com

For more information visit www. buildthemonument.org or contact Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument Chairman Robert Floyd at 512.970.9708. For more information on the THC visit www.thc.state.tx.us.

Located in the Loma Alta Plaza Hours: 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Send your Questions 14254 SPID, Suite 109 Visit our website at www.AuntSissysKitchen.com for the Candidates to 949-4848 For weekly menus

By JJ Hart Available

Full Service Catering For Private Parties

the PAC

President, Island United PAC

The Island United PAC’s endorsement process is beginning soon and, as always, we’ll send out a questionnaire to the candidates. If you have questions you’d like included in this questionnaire, you can email them to islandunitedpac@gmail.com. Your name will not be included in the questionnaire. Questions Award need to be received by Sunday, July 29.

Offering Gourmet Take-Out Meals Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Hours:Recipient 4:00 – of 7:00 p.m. Choice the People’s Candidates can officially file beginning on July Visit our website at www.AuntSissysKitchen.com 2011 Taste of the Island 23 and have until August 20. We’ll send out the questionnaires as the candidates file. Once we For weekly menus receive them all back, we’ll publish them in the Moon.

Full Service Catering Available For Private Parties

Our Endorsement Nights will be on September 19 & 26, 6pm at the Holiday Inn. This is going to be a very important election for the Island so we need to have any many people involved as possible.

We’ll continue to keep you posted on the campaigns and the process. If you would like to receive our newsletter and updates, send your email address to islandunitedpac@gmail. com. Also, visit our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/islandunitedpac.

Recipient of the People’s Choice Award

We need the Island to vote “united” so we can continue to receive the attention and support from the City.

August 9, 2012

Letters to the Editor Pet Day

Moon, Last year in Corpus Christi, thousands of healthy, adoptable pets were euthanized.

Through no fault of their own, many are left to die after being dumped in the streets, overbred or abused. If you know the unconditional love our companion animals generously provide, you’ll want to be a part of the solution, not the problem.

Every year on the third Saturday in August, International Homeless Animals’ Day is observed by animal shelters, rescuers and friends of animals everywhere. This day of recognition was initiated by the International Society for Animals Rights (ISAR) founded nearly fifty years ago with the belief we humans have a responsibility to our pets - which cannot protect nor defend themselves.

Visit your local animal shelters to adopt your next best friend. There are several shelters in Corpus and they desperately need your help.

Donate your time as a volunteer, set up a food drive or make a tax deductible monetary donation. It takes a lot of hard work to care for the animals that have been thrown away. Spay or neuter your pet which insures its health and prevents future unwanted litters.

We are all in this together – the community and our animal companions. Start by recognizing International Homeless Animals’ Day, one pet at a time.

Around the Island continued from A1

Island Moon

No wake Our story about the need for some help enforcing No Wake Zones on the The Island struck a chord. We’ve had a slew of responses from people who are frustrated with watching their decks and docks erode one knucklehead at a time. As things now exist dock owners have little recourse when hit with a boat wake unless there is direct damage to the dock. As most damage is cumulative that doesn’t really do any good.

As we’ve said before we need some city action here because currently the No Wake Zones are basically unenforceable.

Turtle Season Turtle season is just about behind us now and we want to congratulate Dr. Donna Shaver and all the people who work to make the turtle rescue program a success. We encourage anyone who likes being outdoors and working with animals to volunteer for this great program.

Happenings The next Island Moon Market is set for Saturday, August 25 and the Paddle For Parkinson’s is the following Saturday. Mark your calendars and in the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.

Kat Percival

Canal Debris

I have to dedicate up to several hours weekly for canal cleanout. That is precious time I would much rather spend enjoying the good things the island has to offer. who lives on the north end of canals which are south of and adjacent to Whitecap, Catamaran, Capt Kidd, etc. have a similar problem.

Obviously, in my area, the boat ramp on Whitecap and Caravel Drive is a likely spot for dumping violations to occur, however, given the variety and volume of trash I receive, it is unlikely that this location is the only source for the problem. I am keeping my eye out for obvious offenders and I will say something to any person I spot dumping. Recommend we all do the same and our entire canal system will be a more enjoyable place to recreate.

Thomas Stinsonzv

Did Ya Hear?

By Mary Craft Send your business news to: mkay512@aol.com

New Advertisers

No one should discard any item in the canals, particularly if that item floats (or might float after decaying). Floating trash dumped in the canals bounded by Tesoro, Whitecap and Aquarius south of Doubloon Street will ultimately end up in my canal niche. I assume that any resident

Underworld clothing and gift emporium in Port Aransas is having a huge Going Out of Business Sale. They will be selling everything including displays & fixtures for wholesale prices. Sale runs this Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Aug. 10th thru Aug. 12th. They are located at 315 S. Alister #106 Across from IGA Grocery store.

Who Are the Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder

Business Briefs

Distribution

The Lighthouse on the Island has a buyer that, rumor has it, is going to open a restaurant and bar. Closing should be within the next couple of weeks so we will then know for sure. Not too long ago there was a cash buyer for the property but the deal was cancelled by the buyer two days before the closing.

Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Raeanne Reed Office Lisa Towns Classifieds Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Contributing Writers Joey Farah Devorah Fox Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Dr. Tom Dorrell Jay Gardner Todd Hunter Danniece Bobeché Ronnie Narmour Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Office Security/Spillage Control Riley P. Dog Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor Dale Rankin About the Island Moon The Island Moon is published every Thursday, Dale Rankin, Editor / Publisher.

Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses.

News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office 15201 S P I D. Suite 250. For more information call 361-949-7700 or contact the Moon at 15201 S Padre Island Dr., Suite 250, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 or by e-mail to editor@islandmoon.com.

emergency and that was waved as horses and tack were sent to the Rangers in Brownsville.

General Frederick Funston, who was later picked by President Woodrow Wilson to lead the U.S. Army in World War I, but who was then based in San Antonio and was in charge of the U.S. Army in South Texas, was stunned into realizing that is was a cross-border fight that was likely to continue as long as the Mexican Revolution which was still a good five years from being over.

The Barrel Wine and Tapas Bar will be serving sushi prepared by Chef Will from The Sushi Bar every Thursday starting at 5 pm. The bar has cut the prices of their tapas and now on Mondays has happy hour drink prices all night and tapas half price.

The Newport Dunes Golf Course has a deal for purchase nearing completion. The group of investors buying the course includes San Antonio billionaire Red McCombs who was former owner of the Spurs and Minnesota Vikiings.

City Hires New Building Inspector - story in this issue is about the hiring of the head of Port A building permitting. This move by the city of Corpus Christi is welcomed by Island builders as they anticipate a reduction in the time required to obtain a permit.

City Hires New Building Insepector

reported, “Caught a Mexican by the name of Tomas Aguilar – one of the three that robbed the depot and admitted killing Mr. Austin. Of course he tried to make his escape but we killed him.”

Justice was swift and certain with no room for appeal.

One hundred Mexican soldiers dug in on the south bank of the river at Progresso and began firing shots at the U.S. soldiers on the far bank. Then twenty raiders crossed at Progresso and ran into strong opposition but before they could cross back one was captured. A shootout broke out in Falfurrias. The Mexican fighters repeatedly attacked army detachments but there was not a single report of them attacking Texas Rangers.

“The situation is beyond our control,” Gov. Pa told Funston.

Funston responded that he knew the governor had Archer Par, the political boss increased the Ranger of Duval County asked that patrol by 50% and Major General Frederick Army troops be removed from implored him that there on the grounds that he “had Funston “he is anxious not control over the majority Hispanic to do anything that would embarrass the administration” and he population.” raised the possibility of declaring martial law The Army and the Rangers were finally taking from Corpus Christi to the border in which control of the situation and putting down what case Funston said “it must be understood I… they feared was a liberation movement. Many shall not hesitate to inflect the penalty of death Hispanics in South Texas still felt that they had upon persons who have been properly tried by not crossed a border but “the border has crossed Military Commission.” me” since their families had lived in the area long before it was a part of the United States.

Irredentist movement The biggest revelation came from a King Ranch employee named Manuel Rincones who had been kidnapped by the guerrillas who had done the King Ranch raid as their guide and who after his release was interrogated by the Army.

He told Funston that about half the raiders were from Mexico but the other half were from the U.S. side. It meant he was dealing with an irredentist movement that could quickly turn into a civil war for the control of the Nueces Strip – the entire portion of Texas between the Nueces River and the Mexican border which included downtown Corpus Christi. He still had not figured out that the raids were being coordinated by Mexican General Emiliano Nafarrate in Matamoros.

Editor, When I built a house on the corner of Tesoro and Cobo de Bara last year, I did so with the full knowledge that my waterfront niche had the potential to be an ongoing problem from floating trash due to the prevailing southeast winds. Little did I realize how significant this problem would be?

To date, I have cleaned out significant amounts of leaves, palm fronds, cactus, oranges and other assorted yard vegetation, both dead and green, far beyond what should “naturally” occur. I have discarded quite a collection of Styrofoam pool noodles, life vests, fishing floats/bobbers/line, bait buckets, zip loc bags of dead shrimp, boards, huge dock pilings, beer bottles (both full and empty), plastic water bottles, Styrofoam cups, plastic bags of all sizes and a million fragments of Styrofoam. The dead fish carcasses have also been noteworthy, mainly black drum, redfish and catfish, but most surprisingly, a huge koi (which is not a saltwater species and must have been dumped from someone’s backyard fish pond). This summer’s procession of watermelon rinds has also been impressive with last weekend’s full watermelon broken in half and uneaten being the “worst seen to date”. The floating scum layer of oil is also very disturbing though I am not convinced it is exclusively coming from boat engine exhaust.

The only useful thing I have found to date was a dollar bill (which is not nearly enough compensation for my efforts).

History Continued from A1

A5

Pressure mounted from the Texas delegation in Washington and Funston stationed forty detachments on ranches and in towns. That meant that even with 2500 men stationed in South Texas along with almost all of the cavalry in the U.S. Army there still were not enough troops to keep the peace. The infantry were assigned to the towns with the cavalry sent to comb the brush for trouble. An entire battalion of infantry was deployed from Fort McIntosh in Laredo to the Valley as skirmishing continued.

On August 9 another entire battalion was sent to Kingsville.

By this time Funston had figured out that Nafarrate was directing the attacks and that if the U.S. attacked Vera Cruz, as it had done before, Nafarrate was planning to attack and loot Brownsville.

The Rangers “hunting” operations began to draw fire in the Mexican press which was by this time controlled by the regime of Mexican President Carranza. An article was distributed on both sides of the border which read, “A cry of veritable indignation and anger has burst forth from the innermost depths of our soul upon seeing the crimes and outrages perpetrated upon defenseless women, old men, and children of our race by the bandits and despicable Rangers.” The Carranza papers were fomenting a revolution in Texas but it was losing steam.

But as September rolled around that was about to change. The Mexicans first destroyed a railroad bridge then tried to assassinate a Cameron County Deputy Sheriff. Bandits captured a work crew and if any were Germans.

When they answered no they were marched into the brush and shot.

The border war was back on.

Next time: The Border War continues.

Islander Had Front Row Seat at “Bible Class”

The War Department ordered two batteries of 4-7 inch guns and two airplanes, out of ten total in the entire U.S. arsenal, to serve as spotters for the guns. The guns were set up on the Rio Grande and pointed directly at the headquarters of General Nafarrate in Matamoros. The Army was upping the stakes. The Mexican General protested and his protest was answered by the assignment of another entire 26th Infantry to Kingsville and Brownsville.

South Texas from Kingsville to Brownsville was a powder keg just looking for a spark.

Funston brought in Captain W.E. MacKinley, one of a handful of inteligence officers who spoke Spanish and knew the border to carry out a “secret service” investigation to find out what was really going on. MacKinley ran his investigation from Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio and employed several scouts who knew South Texas to gather information.

While the Army continued to pour resources into South Texas the Texas Rangers had their own way of settling things. They left the town where the Army was prevalent and headed out into the brush to look for bandits. The Brownsville Daily Herald reported that bandits had been killed on August 11 between Mercedes and Donna but gave no details. The paper further reported that eleven bandits had been killed in Hidalgo Country but again no word on who did the killings. The Rangers were out in the brush by themselves and felt no compulsion to tell anyone what they were doing.

A Mexican turned up at a doctor’s office in Mercedes with a “bad sore” which turned out to be a bullet wound. On questioning the man revealed the location of two of his companions are all three were executed that night. The Rangers began forcing refugees from the Mexican violence to return to Mexico or else.

On August 12 more than twenty five families

Speights Moving from City of Port Aransas to City of Corpus Christi A Texas native with a vast knowledge of the construction industry will soon join the City of Corpus Christi as building official. John Speights (pronounced: Spates, rhymes with “gates”) will oversee the City’s building inspectors and enforce the Technical Construction Codes.

Speights spent the last two years as the City of Port Aransas building official and previously worked for the City of Austin as a residential building inspector. Born and raised in Houston, Speights moved to Austin in 1966 to attend college.

with loaded wagons were seen crossing into Mexico and more soon followed.

“The search for the right building official has been ongoing and we appreciate the community involvement in the hiring process”, said Mark Van Vleck, Interim Director of Development Services. “I am confident Mr. Speights skill set will create an environment that helps facilitate development in a safe and effective manner”.

The roles began to settle out as the Army defended the banks of the river and the Rangers took to the prairie to round up bandits. The Rangers were running an extermination program. As one Valley resident put it, “The soldiers did the guarding and the Ranges did the hunting.”

Speights is scheduled to start his new position on August 20.

Two bandits in jail on murder charges were taken from the San Benito jail and later found dead, the bodies burned. Ranger Captain Fox

Texas Rangers in 1915

Editor’s note: After our story last issue about the raid on the Norias section of the King Ranch during the Mexican Revolution we got this letter from Islander Jim Laws whose grandfather, Ben T. Laws was the first mayor of Kingsville and whose father was County Treasurer for a number of years. His father started Laws Mens Shop and was in business at the same location on Kleberg Avenue for 73 years.

Dear Mr. Rankin:

My name is James (Jim) T. Laws, I am 85 years old, born and raised in Kingsville, Texas and an Island Resident. Mr. Caesar Kleberg had a group of Kingsville businessmen that played poker together—he referred to the group as his Bible class. My father, Francis H. Laws was a member of the group. Mr. Caesar would call one of the men in the group and say there will be a meeting of the Bible Class at Norias on such and such a date and time and they would all travel to Norias for a little poker. For some reason my father took me along a couple of times. I guess I was ten or twelve years old so this would have been 1936 to 1938 as best I can guess. All this is to give you some background.

When I was at the ranch house I would watch them play a little, have dinner, roam the house then go sleep in one of the bunks till the game broke up and we returned to Kingsville.

I was enthralled at the pictures of celebrities just thumb tacked to the walls (one in particular I remember was of Wiley Post and Will Rogers signed to Mr. Caesar) and the bullet holes in the building. When I remarked about the bullet holes all Mr. Caesar said was “Sam and I had killed most of the bandits before the soldiers got here.” Sam was Sam Cheshire who was Mr. Caesar’s foreman. A side light of this is that my wife’s Grandfather, John Kidd was the Missouri Pacific engineer that took the soldiers down to relieve the Ranch. He said he could hear the shooting as he got near Norias so he put the steam engine in “Grandma” and lay down on the floor of the cab. As the engine reached Norias the soldiers put their rifles over the side of the cars and shot at the bandits. I got the impression that at this point the fight was about over. Mr. Kidd also told of the cowboys coming back to the Ranch House, throwing a lasso over the leg of a dead bandit and dragging them out in the brush.

The attached photo is of Mr. Caesar in the old ranch house. He sent this to all his “Bible Class” one Christmas. I don’t know what year.

I enjoyed your article “What a Difference 100 Years Doesn’t Make” and thought the above might be of interest to you.

Jim Laws

A 6

Island Moon

Senior Moments

By Dotson Lewis dlewis1@stx.rr.com

Senior of the Moment Note from Dotson: Due to the widespread interest of Texans, young, older & really old (seniors) in Football. We will not have a Senior of the Moment this week, but we will resume the very popular articles next week. The following report regarding football safety should be of interest to those who have children, grandchildren and friends participating at all levels in the National Sport of Texas.

Moments Sports Talk Are you ready for some football?

The NFL’s first game (Hall of Fame) of the 2012 season was played August 5th in Canton, Ohio. This game was, in reality, just a practice game; the NFL’s real season starts Wednesday September 5th, Cowboys vs. Giants. Real football, Texas High School style begins in “Week Zero”, Friday August 31st and will see many local high school teams in action.

As many of you know, Texas High Schools play football using college (NCAA) rules. There are a few modifications of the college rules mandated by the UIL (University Interscholastic League), but for the most part college rules are followed.

To aid in your enjoyment when watching football, and to help you impress your children, grand children and great grandchildren with your knowledge of the game, the next few issues of the “Moon” we will provide you with some inside information regarding all levels of the great game of football.

This week we will discuss the most important rule changes and their expected effect on the games. This writer had the privilege of serving on the NCAA (College) football rules committee for more than 20 years. For many of those years, I was the representative and spokesperson for high school and college game officials.

During our discussions, we will include comparisons of college (NCAA) and professional (NFL) football rules. The NCAA Rules Committee is made up of coaches and administrators representing all NCAA Divisions.

Eight coaches and four administrators are the 12 voting members. The NFL Competition Committee (Rules Committee) is made up of club managers and coaches. For more information regarding the NFL Competition Committee go online: http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/NFL Competition Committee.

Pop Warner Weighing Research and Risks in Concussion Prevention Efforts

Shirley Ebanks and friends at a recent DMC Senior Education Computer Class to lessen the number of impacts by reducing incidents in practice, when a majority of the “car accidents” took place, according to Duma.

This fall, Duma will participate in a joint research project with Virginia Tech and Wake Forest that will more thoroughly evaluate six teams, about 300 players ages 6 to 13, as a follow-up to better understand the pilot project.

Research has been difficult to quantify, Duma said, because “no one knows how many times or how hard players have been hit.” Until recently, it was common to hide or minimize concussions.

“There has to be scientific data that makes that decision,” he said about making changes in football. “It can’t be a group of people telling stories of how they used to play football. You’ve got to actually quantify what drills are causing what level head impact, and target those, and minimize those.”

Kevin Guskiewicz, a friend of Bailes, is the founding director of the Matthew Gfeller SportRelated Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina. He said he believed contact was a necessary ingredient for youth football. Without contact, he said, players might be unprepared to face competition from bigger athletes at the high school level, which could cause “serious catastrophic injury.”

Guskiewicz, as part of the National Sport Concussion Outcomes Study Consortium, which includes UCLA, Michigan and the Medical College of Wisconsin, is waiting on a grant that would allow the consortium to track, over a number of years, the effect of head impacts on youth football players. The consortium already has a grant from the NCAA to conduct a similar study at the collegiate level.

“There’s much more that we don’t know, than what we do know,” Guskiewicz said about football’s impact on head injuries. Pop Warner has decided to wait for more definitive proof before issuing even more restrictive rules.

Guskiewicz said it could take another four or five years before research determines the shortterm effects, and the length of an adult life to determine the resulting cause of depression or dementia.

“You can do the math on that one,” he said.

Butler, Pop Warner’s executive director, estimated that if the country’s largest youth football organization were to outlaw all contact and go to a flag-football approach, about 90 to 95 percent of the players would leave and find tackle football elsewhere. He also predicted they would sustain concussions in other sports.

The unremarkable football career of Dr. Julian Bailes, who is now the chairman of the Pop Warner medical advisory board, ended quietly during his college days in the 1970s. He never sustained a concussion that he knew of, but he can recall a friend in high school who did.

Confused and concussed, his friend started describing a car he had just bought; there was no new car, and Bailes found it hilarious. “We didn’t know any better,” he said.

Now, his son is a 13-year-old football player who understands the risks, Bailes said, and still wants to play, so Bailes allows him to.

For now, assuming the risk is Bailes’s choice, and his son’s. But the future of youth football may be determined by research that continues to redefine what the sport considers safe. On Wednesday, in an attempt to limit head injuries to young players, Pop Warner issued new rules that put restrictions on the amount of contact players can have in practice.

Jon Butler, the executive director of Pop Warner, said that research would continue to drive the organization’s rules changes as it tries to limit concussions. Researchers in the field liken Pop Warner — which has more than 285,000 children ages 5 to 15 in its leagues — to pioneers.

“The NFL bore the brunt of this in terms of P.R., but how do we know that it’s not the adolescent exposure?” Bailes said. “How do we know it’s not the youth exposure? How do we know it’s not the college exposure?”

He added, “Hopefully, this will be looked back upon as a common-sense approach.”

To traditionalists, football without contact is comparable to swimming without water.

But with a number of studies now detailing football’s link to brain injuries, some parents may conclude that playing the sport is not worth the risk to their children.

Stefan Duma, the head of the biomedical engineering department at Virginia Tech, oversaw the research published in February that prompted Pop Warner to issue its rules changes.

The study, the first of its kind for participants that young, placed sensors in the helmets of seven youth football players ages 6 to 8 during their 2011 season. Calling it a pilot, Duma expected the impacts to be too inconsequential to record.

Results showed that about 95 percent of the impacts were between 15 and 20 g’s — what Duma likened to an “aggressive pillow fight.”

The other 5 percent spiked to 50 to 100 g’s — what Duma characterized as a “car accident.”

Duma noted that collegiate and professional football players had a low risk for concussions at 100 g’s. But research has shown that the damage from concussions can be cumulative, and that the brains of younger athletes may be particularly susceptible. So Pop Warner tried

“We can’t wrap them in bubble wrap,” he said.

“It just doesn’t work that way.”

Helmet To Helmet Contact Is the Villain That Causes Many Concussions During the pre-season rules meetings this year the focus was on player safety, with a special emphasis on concussions. Since research has shown that more than half of the concussions occurred during kick-offs this aspect of the game has had some major changes.

The first noticeable change in high school and college games is the new rule that only the kicker may line up more than five yards from the ball before the ball is kicked. This rule change prevents a 10 to 15 yard momentum building run before contact by the players on the kicking team. It will be interesting to see if this change has any effect on the number of injuries occurring on kick-offs.

Another rule change during kick-offs, which is designed to discourage kick-off runbacks, is the new rule that gives the receiving team the ball at the 25 yard line, if the kick-off results in a touchback. For more than 100 years touchbacks have resulted in the ball being given to the receiving team at the 20 yard line.

All touchbacks except kick-off touchbacks will be the same as in the past, TOUCHBACK DEFINITION: It is a touchback when the ball becomes dead out of bounds behind the goal line, except from an incomplete forward pass, or becomes dead in the possession of a player on, above or behind his own goal line and the attacking team is responsible for the ball being there, and when a kick becomes dead by rule behind the defending team’s goal line and the attacking team is responsible of the ball being there.

Vince Lombardi: “Kissing is a contact sport, football is a collision sport.”

Moments Tech Talk Fall Del Mar College Senior Education computer classes will begin September 4, 2012.

The schedule is shown below. Please call 361698-1328 to register for a class or 361-6981329 for additional information. Call soon if you wish register for a class, seating is limited, and classes will fill-up fast.

Moment Notes Attention fishermen: Rep. Farenthold introduced a bill to save offshore fishing sanctuaries. Thursday, July 26, 2012, Washington, D.C.-Today Congressman Blake Farenthold (TX-27) introduced H.R. 6208, the Retaining Essential Environmental Fishing Structures (REEFS) Act. This bill places a two year moratorium on an October 2010 Department of Interior (DOI) directive to remove all non-producing oil rigs from the Gulf of Mexico. Now, almost two years later, the Gulf Coast is feeling the negative impacts of this directive as important habitats are being

August 9, 2012

Weekly Classes at Art Center for the Islands

removed. Rep. Farenthold had the following comments on the REEFS Act: “The REEFS Acts stops misguided DOI directive requiring removal of safely plugged rigs from the Gulf of Mexico, destroying valuable ecosystems.

Fishermen, divers, the oil industry and even our school children understand the important role these artificial habitats play in both the economy and ecology of the Gulf. The REEFS Act gives the Government time to find a common sense long-term solution to save man made reefs instead of removing decades of environmental progress.” If you wish to read the complete bill online, go to: http://farenthold.house.gov/ images/stories/Farenthold_REEFS_Act.pdf Let Blake know what you think: blake@blake. com Phone: 361-884-2222

If you have questions and/or comments regarding “Senior Moments” please contact Dotson at the Email address shown above, or Phone 361-949-7681; Cell 530-748-8475

Activities at the Ethel Eyerly Senior Center 654 Graham Road (Flour Bluff) Phone: 361-937-3218

Monday Silver Haired Fitness 10 am ($7 month, Ladies Only) Computer Interest Group 12:30-2 pm Wii Bowling 12:30 pm Tuesday Bingo 10 am ($.50 Cards) Silver Life Fitness (Co-Ed) 11 am Zumba Table Tennis & Table Games 12:30 pm Wednesday Silver Haired Fitness 10 am ($7 month, Ladies Only) AARP Chapter 4181 1 pm 2nd & 4th Wednesdays Thursday Silver Life Fitness (Co-Ed) 11 am Zumba Wii Bowling 12:30 pm Quilting Guild 2nd Thursdays Starts 10 am Friday Silver Haired Fitness 10 am ($7 month, Ladies Only) Table Tennis 12-5 pm Bingo 12:30 PM ($.50 Cards) Line Dancing 2 pm Ethel Eyerly Monthly Dinner/Dance 4:30-7:30 pm Friday August 17, 2012 Music by Don Huff Country/Western Theme Tickets $5 on Sale Now For Further Information Call: 361-937-3218

First Tuesday-Portrait Donohue - 9:30am-12:30pm

Drawing-Pat

Cost:$15.00 non-members $13.50 Members Come, learn to draw portraits or improve your skills and have a great time! Bring your drawing supplies.

Tuesdays~ Drop In And Draw Class~Pat Donohue ~ 9:30am—12:30pm –Cost:$15.00 non-members $13.50 Members Come, learn to draw or improve your skills. Join us any Tuesday and have a great time! Supply list is available at front desk.

Thursdays~ Soft Pastels ~ Donna Garven ~ Last Pastel And Oil Class For A While Is June 21st Donna Will Be Traveling Class Resumes Oct.4th

Thursdays~ Oil Painting ~ Donna Garven ~

Fridays ~ Beginner/Intermediate Watercolor Judith Deshong Hall 10 am-1 pm $ 25 if you just drop in or $80 for 4.Supply List will be available at front desk.But for sure bring your basic watercolor supplies. ( if traveling without supplies we can help you out with paint & brushes & you can buy paper here.).Come learn to paint or improve your skills with this very talented instructor.Check in each week during summer months to seeif she has travel plans.

WORKSHOPS

Norma Gafford Mixed Metal Jewelry Making Workshops Thursdays August 30Th & September 6Th,13Th,20Th, 27Th 9:30Am-12:30 Cost: $25 Per Day-3 Student Min. Register & Pre-Pay A Week Before Each Session.** The word jewelry is derived from the Latin word ‘jocale’ meaning plaything.

Come & learn to work/play with copper, brass, bronze, aluminum, & silver, & to create your own unique jewelry. Learn basic skills in wire and sheet metal: wire findings, bead wrap, links, closures, plus basic texturing and stamping.

Debbie Cannatella MixedWatermediacollage Workshop Wednesday August 1St & Thursday August 2Ndtime: 9:30Am-12:30 Cost: $50 Includes The 2 Days—3 Student Min. You don’t need to be a pro-ficient artist to play with this technique.

Bring painting supplies, borrow some from A/C or get most for a $10 Supply fee from Debbie.But bring a large kitchen sponge, paper towels and large soft watercolor brush( if you have them, round or flat ).Don”t miss this opportunity! Last Chance to get in this workshop is now!!!

Debbie Cannatella-Painting Cut Glass, Crystal & Still Life Thursdays August 16th & Aug. 23rd

Time: 9:30am-12:30 cost: $25 per day—3 student min. Pre-pay aug.9 & Aug. 16**

Bring your watercolor supplies –paints & brushes or borrow from A/C ,Watercolor paper is sold here at AC, but bring paper towels & a styrofoam plate to use for a pallet if you don’t have one.

Del Mar College Computer Classes Beginning Internet Tuesdays-ThursdaysFridays 8:30-11:30 am 9/4-9/14/2012 Beginning Computers Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:30-4:30 pm 9/4-9/18/2012 Beginning Internet Mondays & Wednesdays 8:30 am-12:30 pm 9/5-9/19/2012 Beginning Excel Tuesdays & Thursdays 8:30 am-12:30 pm 9/18-10/4/2012 Beginning Internet Mondays & Wednesdays 8:30 am-12:30 pm 10/-0/15/2012 Windows 7 Basic Tuesdays-ThursdaysFridays 8:30-11:30 am 10/4-10/12/2012 Beginning Computers Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:30-4:30 pm 10/9-10/23/2012 Beginning Computers Saturdays 8:30-11:30 am 10/13-11/10/2012 Beginning Computers Saturdays 1:30-4:30 pm 10/13-12/1/2012 Beginning Computers Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:30-4:30 pm 11/6-11/20/2012

August 9, 2012

Island Moon

Likeness of Jesus Reported on Beeville Taco

It was an ordinary day for 80 year old Ernesto Garza as he ate his breakfast taco at the La Amistad Adult Daycare center in Beeville on Monday.

Life is Good Again Decades ago when I lived in western Massachusetts, I used to frequent a small café called The Soup Kitchen. Not a facility for the homeless, it was instead a tiny storefront eatery with a very limited menu: soup. The Soup Kitchen offered several kinds of soup, every one of them tasty and filling, with muffins and breads as accompaniments. And for dessert: brownies. They were the best brownies in the cosmos, the likes of which I haven’t enjoyed since I left western Mass. I tried many mixes and many recipes and never could come up with anything quite as good.

She jumped from her seat, “Jesus,” she shouted, and sure enough it wasn’t long before everyone at the daycare center was talking about the face of Jesus in Ernesto’s taco. Some saw Bob Segar and one saw Barry Gibb, but to Ernesto it was Jesus.

“I looked at it for five minutes,” Ernesto told the Beeville Bee-Picayune.

Then a few years ago the Gourmet Brownie Kitchen opened in Corpus Christi. I was back in brownie heaven for a few years until the place closed.

Angie Rodriguez who works at the daycare center said she has been going through some tough times and had prayed for a sign; then the next day Garza’s taco turned up.

Ah, but life is good again. The Cupcake Shoppe has opened in Port Aransas and in my opinion their brownies are AWESOME! I don’t think there’s a point size large enough to express how awesome I think they are. Rich deep chocolate flavor, not overly sweet, and somehow fudgy and cakey at the same time.

“God works in mysterious ways,” she said.

Garza ate the contents of the taco but is keeping the tortilla wrapping tucked away in foil in his refrigerator. The workers at the daycare say they think the image is related to their slogan, “Serving Humanity to Honor God.” The sighting comes only two weeks after a couple in South Carolina reported they found an image of Jesus on a Walmart receipt. It is unknown if the two are related.

Curiosity (Mars Rover) Landing Lecture and Night Sky Viewing at Harte Library!

Last Chance to See “Annie”

All performances are at 2327 State HWY 361 in Port Aransas. Enjoy the frolicking of this cast of 30+ directed by Ken Yarbrough.

DEE-SCOVERIES

by Devorah Fox

He got his bacon and egg taco and sat down to unwrap it. But when he got it open he noticed something unusual…a face staring back at him.

After staring at it for a while he asked the lady sitting next to him if she could see a face in his taco.

The last shows of the Broadway Musical “ANNIE” will be performed on the Port Aransas Community Theatre stage at 7:30 PM on August 9, 10, 11 and at 2:30 PM on Sunday, August 12.

Don’t miss the singing, dancing and fabulous music of this event. Reserved seat tickets are being pre-sold for those dates through www. brownpapertickets.com or through www. portaransascommunitytheater.com or call 361749-6036 for further information. Cost will be $15. Adults, and $10. for Children under 12.

Janet F. Harte Public Library hosts free activities for children and adults on Saturday, August 11 beginning at 8:00 p.m.

The Janet F. Harte Public Library will host a Curiosity (Mars Rover) Landing Lecture and Night Sky Viewing at Harte Library on Saturday, August 11, 2012, beginning at. 8:00 p.m. The Corpus Christi Astronomical Society will first present a Power Point program in the meeting room. After darkness falls, everyone will go outside to observe the night sky using telescopes and binoculars. All events are free and open to the public. The library is located at 2629 Waldron Rd. in Flour Bluff. For more information call 937-6579.

The BACK PORCH

This being a cupcake shop, I should also mention that I found the cupcakes to be a major delight as well. Again, the flavor was rich and neither the frosting nor the cake was too sweet. The cake was light and airy; it just melted in my mouth.

I tried the chocolatefrosted chocolate cake.

I mean seriously, there’s chocolate, why do we need any other flavors?

For those who don’t agree, there are seven daily flavors (some of which have no chocolate at all!). Featured flavors like The Elvis, Tiramisu and Margarita change with the day of the week.

Find unique flavors like pumpkin spice and eggnog for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and special decorations like red, white and blue for Independence Day and Veteran’s Day. Special orders like mini cupcakes or the Big Cupcake are available with 24-hour advance notice and you can also get custom decorations.

oPEN 7 dAYS + nOON-2AM THURS.

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Legendary

8/17

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8/18

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BACK PORCH Sat. 9/1 LARRY JOE TAYLOR

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ON THE WATERFRONT

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PortA

opened a shop there October 7, 2010. (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been running errands in Corpus and passed the Cupcake Shoppe at Weber and S.P.I.D. without stopping, since I was always in the wrong lane!). It’s almost poetic that much of their equipment was purchased from the defunct Gourmet Brownie Kitchen. July 20, 2012 was the grand opening of the Port Aransas shop.

The Millers also operate a cupcake-mobile, a van from which they can sell cupcakes. Mark drives the van around on a route that takes him from Alameda in Corpus Christi to Calallen and North Padre Island. Before he started working at the Cupcake Shoppe, Mark had another job. The shop started to do so well that they were going to have to hire help, and Mark more or less got drafted. He was ready for a career change himself anyway and enjoys being his own boss.

The Millers put in a long day, starting with baking in the morning. All the treats are made from scratch with real butter. Then it’s on to staffing the two shops and the van until evening. Even the Millers’ kids get in the act. Ryan staffs the Corpus shop in the afternoon. Ten-year-old Nathan likes to wash dishes and run the cash register. Twelve-year-old Hannah enjoys icing the cupcakes. “And they eat a lot of cupcakes,” Mark says, “although they still want to be paid money.” It seems like baking cupcakes for hours every day would get tedious, but Mark said that Rachael continues to be stimulated by the creative aspect. She’s constantly coming up with new flavors and the Cupcake Shoppe now has about 65 or 70 of them.

For more information, call 361-442-2220 or send an email to Rachael@thecupcakeshoppe. net. Find them on Facebook, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/cupcakeshoppecc or on the Internet at http://thecupcakeshoppe.net where you can find the flavors of the day and the location of the mobile cupcake van. Or just visit the shop at 315 South Alister Suite #109.

During the summer they’re open every day from noon until 9 p.m., or until they run out of cupcakes. I’ll see you there.

Live Music

FRI. SAT. The 8/9 8/10 8/11 Mike Miss Nessie Six BACK PORCH Milligan & Earfood Market & The Altar Boys BLVD. Bar 8/16

A7

Don’t think of cupcakes as just a snack. How about offering several tiers of them instead of wedding cake? Or how about one for breakfast, as in the French Toast and Bacon cupcake? Then there’s the “gender reveal” cupcakes— a lemon cupcake with blue-colored filling—which were created for a couple who wanted to announce in a dramatic way that their anticipated bundle-ofjoy was going to be a boy.

The shop is owned by Rachael Miller and her husband, Mark. Rachael had been an ICU registered nurse for many years. But she was looking to make a career change and open her own business. She loved baking and lots of Food Network viewing told her that cupcakes were gaining in popularity as a retail treat.

A Corpus Christi resident for 23 years, she first

ISLAND MOON MARKET

Make a day at the beach even better!

Scoopy’s Veranda Sun - Sat 11am - 10pm Carry-out Available!

Snoopy’s (361) 949-8815 Scoopy’s (361) 949-7810 13313 S. Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78418

Sun, Fun & Shopping!

Join us at the Island Moon Market!

Monthly, every 4th Saturday!

8:00am to 5:00pm On the Sea Wall at The Windward Parking Lot North Padre Island!

Sponsored by Island Moon Newspaper, Budweiser & The City of Corpus Christi Parks & Recreation Fun for the whole family!

We’ve gathered the best of Texas!

Craft vendors, One-of-a-Kind Gifts, & Unique eats!

Parking is free and there is plenty of it!

For more information: www.islandmoonmarket.com islandmoonmarket@gmail.com 361-403-4032

Island Moon

A 8

Port A happenings

Paradise Pond Cleanup

Volunteers are needed to help with a cleaning at the Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Pond this week.

It will be held at 8 am, Thursday, Aug 9.

The community is asked to help the Parks and Recreation Department grounds staff clear brush and trim branches to enhance the appearance of the Paradise Pond.

The pond is located on Cut Off Road, just south of Shark Reef Resort and north of San Juan’s Restaurant.

Bring gloves, shovels and bug spray. Free.

Police Blotter

vocals and guitar, Tony Nicklin on bass guitar and vocals, Steve Mayhood on lead guitar and vocals, and Wayne Harding on keyboards and vocals.

Her original song “Game Over” has already been featured on Showtime’s series “Strikeforce.”

Bring a chair or blanket, food and drink, family and friends, kids and dogs (leashed) and come enjoy the music and sunset over the Corpus Christi Ship Channel.

The concert series is held April through October courtesy of the City of Port Aransas Parks and Recreation Department.

Yoga on the beach

Kid Activities 8/9, Thursday, 9:30-11:30am, Park play Water Balloon Toss outside the pool. All ages, FREE. 8/9 Thursday, 2-4pm, Chillin’ Time - Block Printing, Age 5 & up, Girl Scout hut, $2/1st, $1/ add’l 8/9, Thursday, 7:05pm, 25 Cent Cinema: Family friendly, movie & popcorn at Library, $0.25 each 8/13, Monday, 1-4pm, Board Games: All ages are welcome in the Girl Scout hut, FREE

Free yoga instruction will be held on the beach Saturday, Aug. 11.

Join the yoga guru Nancy Myers and others wanting a good stretch in the great outdoors at 9 am, near Horace Caldwell Pier. The pier is located at the end of Beach Street on the beach.

Bring an old towel or mat suitable for use on the sand.

The class is held each month courtesy of the City of Port Aransas Parks and Recreation Department.t

Port Aransas Ferry Receives $1.7 Million Grant

Afterschool Program Pre-Registration Need a safe place to leave the kids after school?

Now is the time to pre-register for the Marlin Academy Afterschool Program.

Pre-Registration for children at HG Olsen Elementary will be accepted at the Parks and Rec Office until 5:00 pm on Friday, August 17, 2012.

If pre-registrations exceed the program capacity, a lottery will be held and parents will be informed on Monday, August 20.

Pre-Registration forms are available on-line at http://www.cityofportaransas.org/Marlin_ Academy_Afterschool_Program.cfm or at the Parks and Recreation Office, 739 W Avenue A.

Sunset sounds Samantha Aiken and the Rodeo Drive band will perform at a free rock, country-rock and original music concert Friday, Aug. 10.

From 7-9 pm, Samantha, a born and raised Texan, will entertain at the Patsy Jones Amphitheater in Roberts Point Park.

The teenage singer and songwriter with a great-big Texas-sized voice has performed from Texas to California with her band.

The band includes Kenny Jewett-Drums on

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Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Port Aransas Ferry Operations announced on Monday that the system had received a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The grant from the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration provides for the addition of lead clusters necessitated by the larger 27-vehicle ferries added to the Port Aransas fleet last summer. The funds were part of $363 million in grants announced by Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood that were made available across the country as part of the Surface Transportation Act of 2012, Part II. “The $1.7 million grant provides funding for the addition of lead clusters on each ramp on both ferry landings,” said Port Aransas Ferry Public Information Officer Aaron Ames. “The new lead clusters will provide additional protection for the larger ferries we recently added and those we hope to add in the near future. It is all part of our efforts to continually improve the efficiency and safety for the traveling public.”

The work is scheduled to be completed during the 2013 fiscal year.

Port Aransas marina gets extra protection

Woman Strikes 2 Boys On The Beach With Car August 4, 2012, 22:50, Beach Marker 202, Intoxication Assault Two 16-year-old boys were hospitalized with substantial but non-life threatening injuries Saturday night after a 23-year-old woman struck the boys with a car on the beach by marker 202.

Several adults told Corpus Christi Police Officers that a white Pontiac Grand Am, driven by a woman, drove into a vehicle and the two boys, then attempted to flee the scene. The adults pointed to a white Pontiac Grand Am that was stuck in the sand and said that vehicle caused the damage and the injuries.

The two 16-year-old boys were transported to the hospital by ambulance and the Pontiac was impounded. Garza’s 18 year old passenger was released at the scene.

Scholarship Fund at Del Mar College. So roundup your friends and family and bring them out to Marker 37 on August 3rd & 4th to help raise money and have a great time while doing it!

Vehicle Strikes Woman As She Photographs Previous Crash

Drunk Driver Crashes Into Police Car Stopped To Arrest Other Drunk Driver

Saturday, August 4, 2012, 21:32, 11600 State Highway 361 Vehicle Crash with a Pedestrian A 22-year-old woman was struck by a vehicle when she stood in the road to take pictures of her car that was in a vehicle crash a moment earlier.

The 22-year-old woman was the passenger in a black 2004 Chevy Trailblazer that travelled north on the 11600 block of State Highway 361 when an orange 2006 Dodge Charger pulled out from Zahn Road and struck the Trailblazer.

The 38-year-old operator of the Charger, Cruz Zamudio (12/23/1973) was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

Neither the 22-year-old woman, nor the operator of the Trailblazer was injured in the crash. The 22-year-old woman stood in the dark road to photograph the crash conditions. The 22-year-old woman was then struck by a 2004 Toyota Sequoia operated by a 44-year-old man.

The 22-year-old woman was transported to the hospital by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries. The 44 year old man was not cited for any violation.

Vehicle Strikes Jogger On Ocean Drive Then Flees Sunday, August 5, 2012, 2033, Ocean Drive at Poenisch Drive Accident Involving Injury or Death A 21-year-old woman was struck by a vehicle on Ocean Drive and the vehicle that struck her left without providing any aid.

The Port Aransas Marina will be more able than ever to respond to small spills with 600feet of containment boom donated by the Texas General Land Office’s Oil Spill Prevention and Response Division.

A 21-year-old woman jogged on the 6400 block of Ocean Drive and crossed the street from Swantner Park to Poenisch Drive. Witnesses told Police Officers that a light-colored, possibly tan, sport utility vehicle travelled on Ocean Drive toward Ennis Joslin Road and struck the woman jogger. Witnesses told Police Officers that the sport utility vehicle travelled a block away from the crash and slowed as if to turn around. Witnesses said the sport utility vehicle waited a moment, and then sped away toward Ennis Joslin Road.

The boom will enhance response times to oil spills in the marina and allow marina staff block off the marina to protect it from spills. “They will be able to quickly boom any sunken vessels in the marina — containing a spill — until the Land Office or the U. S. Coast Guard is on the scene to further assess impacts,” Veselka said.

The cost of the boom is about $5,500. The Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1991 (OSPRA) designated the Texas General Land Office as the lead state agency for preventing and responding to oil spills in the marine environment.

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The woman jogger was taken by ambulance to the hospital with serious injuries.

Corpus Christi Police Hit and Run Investigators recovered evidence from the scene and are now searching for a late 1990’s model GMC Suburban or Chevy Tahoe with front end damage to include a missing passenger side head light assembly. Corpus Christi Police Investigators are searching for residential surveillance recordings from the area homes that may have captured images of this crash.

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Day And Night Boardwalk Shopping Center off Kenedy Bridge to the first right.

A Corpus Christi Police Patrol car was struck by a vehicle on the 5000 block of Holly Road while on a traffic stop.

A Corpus Christi Police Officer initiated a traffic stop of a black 2008 BMW at the 5000 block of Holly Road. The operator of that BMW, 26-year-old Alex Hernandez (9/12/1985) was arrested for driving while intoxicated. The 26-year-old passenger of the BMW, Francisco Leal (10/10/1985) was arrested for public intoxication.

Leal and Hernandez were transported to the city detention center. Another Corpus Christi Police Officer stayed with the BMW to wait for the tow truck to collect the BMW to take to the city impound lot.

A black 2006 Dodge Charger operated by 31-year-old Guadalupe Maravilla (8/9/1980) crashed into the police patrol car and the BMW. The police officer and Maravilla were not injured in the crash. Maravilla was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation and then delivered to the city detention center for driving while intoxicated.

The Corpus Christi Police Department reminds motorists that the Texas Transportation Code section 545.157 requires drivers in Texas to slow down or move over when they see the flashing lights of a stopped emergency vehicle.

Unless otherwise directed by a police officer, you must vacate the lane closest to the vehicle or slow down to at least 20 mph below the posted speed limit in hopes of reducing the number of crashes, injuries, and deaths.

Island Police Calls 11800 block SPID (JFK Causeway) 2:16 a.m. August 4 DWI 13300 block SPID Midnight August 6 Burglary of vehicle Zahn Road & SH 361 10:50 p.m. August 4 Law enforcement transport 15200 block SPID 1:01 am. August 1 Shoplifting 15600 block Cruiser 11:50 a.m. Fraud

As of this writing our friend boat captain Chester Ruder is missing from Port Aransas. Police have searched for him but so far there is no progress to report.

Chester, if you are out there call us.

Vermont Farmer Gets Even with Deputies

By Flattening Their Patrol Cars A farmer in Vermont who was angry over a recent arrest for resisting arrest and marijuana possession decided to take action. He drove his Case tractor to the police stations where seven sheriff’s cars were lined up in the parking lot and ran them over. He destroyed five marked cruisers, one unmarked police car, and a transport van.

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8/2/12, 01:47 am 5000 Holly Driving While Intoxicated

Anyone with additional information about this crime should call Corpus Christi Police Hit and Run Investigators immediately. Anyone with information should not assume that investigators have the information, so the information should be shared without delay. Tips may be made anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888TIPS.com.

The Corpus Christi Law Enforcement Fishing Tournament was held last weekend at Marker 37.

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Over the years, CCLEFT has given over $40,000 to numerous local charities including, The Fraternal Order of Police “Shop with a Cop” program, The Corpus Christi Police Officers Association “St. Michaels Fund”, Police Athletic League and The Corpus Christi Police Law Enforcement Fishing Tournament

Police Officers met the operator of the Pontiac, 23-year-old Jessica Rose Garza (10/19/1988), and her 18-year-old male passenger. Garza displayed indicators that she was intoxicated.

Garza was arrested for Intoxication Assault and an Accident Causing Injury Or Death.

General Land Office donates 600-feet of boom for speedy containment of spills

Roni Owner / Stylist

August 9, 2012

The deputies were inside working with the windows up and the air conditioner on and by the time and didn’t even know what had happened until a neighbor called the 911 to inform them that their vehicles were flat. But when they ran outside there wasn’t much left to do.

“We had nothing to pursue him with,” said Newport Chief Deputy Philip Brooks.

The farmer now faces seven counts of unlawful mischief.

August 9, 2012

Island Moon

Fish

Travelling Moon

Island resident Jim Cole & family at a disc golf course built on a ski run in Zell Am See, Austria.

Heres Liam and Lorelei McDowell (we live on the island) with the June copy of the Island Moon while visiting Sierra Vista, Az . Those are the Huachuca Mountains in the background. June 2012.

A9

Beach Babes!

What a catch! This 349 lb. swordfish was caught 85 miles off the coast of Port Aransas early Sunday morning. Swordfish are rebounding in the Gulf. This one put up a good fight, diving to the bottom and taking over 2 hours to reel in. Congrats to Stu and Harrison King and Tom Gilster.

Beach Bums of the week

Peg Strauss with some snapper therapy

Photos by Gina Shuler

Get the attention you deserve.

Drew, James and Rob hit the water off of the Port Aransas ship channel to have a pre-birthday celebration.

Lighthouse Rick and Kelly Mickaww of the Trishas at the Frio River Songfest in Concan Texas

Huge Going Out of Business Sale!

Selling a home?

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15334 Bonasse #903

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Underworld clothing and gift emporium in Port Aransas will sell everything including displays & fixtures for wholesale prices.

Sale runs this Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Aug. 10th thru Aug. 12th.

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Island Moon

Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands – The Best of Two Worlds

By Brent Rourk Considering a trip that includes a peek into a tradition rich Spanish speaking world and also wild and varied flora and fauna? Are you excited about the thought of walking around and through unimagined wildlife? How about visiting the personal talleres (workshops) of llama wool master weavers or casually browsing one of the largest and most colorful outdoor markets in South America? Does swimming with sea turtles, sea lions, and sharks interest you? Would you enjoy a gondola ride up the face of a 14,000 foot mountain and then a leisurely and “breath-taking” hike along its peak? Or take an awe-inspiring hike through the magical Amazon Jungle?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you might seriously consider taking an amazing vacation that includes the mainland cities and surrounding areas of Quito, Guayaquil, and Otavalo, Ecuador. These three cities truly give a visitor a taste of the coast and the highlands, including the Andes Mountains.

Add to that leg of the trip a week-long voyage around the Galapagos Islands where you will navigate in snug yet comfortable quarters while you travel from island to island, each one offering unique geography and climate, striking colored beaches and ample opportunities to position yourself unbelievably close to unique wildlife. By carefully combining the Galapagos tour with Ecuador’s city tours a traveler creates the absolute best of two worlds in one longer adventure, inviting surprises, contrasts and insights that promise life-long memories.

Ecuador is located along the equator (its name means equator in Spanish) where its fascinating and diverse geography provides a memorable

haven for every interest. This constitutional republic is divided into 24 provinces within 4 major zones; the coast, the highlands, the Amazon, and the Galapagos Islands. Start your amazing adventure with a week-long visit to Quito, Guayaquil, and Otavalo; cities that present to the traveler a delightful variety of food, music, geography, climate, architecture, languages, history, and sub cultures that characterize Ecuador.

Guayaquil is a larger, coastal urban area of three and a half million inhabitants located along the western bank of the Guayas River about 40 miles north of the Gulf of Guayaquil.

This large city was a native village before it was founded in 1538 by Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana. Today it is a bustling city and Ecuador’s largest port with an economy fueled by small and medium businesses, agriculture and aquaculture. Expansive and beautiful beaches abound along the coastline near Guayaquil where delicious seafood reign supreme. Various fried or baked fish, a delicious host of shrimp dishes or a classic ceviche are all worth a trip to a coastal village. A full and enchanting day in Guayaquil might begin with a traditional breakfast of fresh squeezed juice, fresh fruit and yappingauchos or patacones (either potatoes or plantain mixed with cheese and lightly fried and spiced.) These delightfully appetizing round patties have a golden crisp outside containing a soft and tasty center. After stocking up with cold bottled water plan and schedule visits to The Mercado Artesanal (the largest artisan market in the city), The Palacio Nacional, The Malecon 2000, and several parks. Embrace the area for three days, taking a day to explore towns and villages along the coast. The brave traveler will attempt to engage locals in conversation, exchanging ideas about culture, modern life, each others’ country, and generally what is important.

After completely absorbing the warm coastal culture of Guayaquil a visit to Quito presents several exciting and different opportunities.

First, Quito is nestled in the Guayllamba River Basin of the Andes Mountains 9,350 feet above sea level and is located within one mile of zero latitude. A casual glance from any position in Quito will instantly reveal mountains from 14,000 to 16,000 feet above sea level, including an active volcano that as recently as 2006 spewed smoke and blanketed the city with ash.

Fortunately, that volcano was conspicuously silent when I visited Quito, unlike the belching and shaking that a Costa Rican volcano frighteningly demonstrated two years earlier.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Quito is a sprawling and ever-growing metropolis comprised of modern architectural cityscape (northern end), common residential neighborhoods scattered throughout many of the 32 city parishes (southern end) and a stunning, stoic and stately old town (central).

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Navigating Quito as a tourist is best accomplished with a tour group or, if alone, by relatively inexpensive taxis. A bus system runs through most neighborhoods of Quito and is very cheap, but first time visitors must study the routes and patiently take their chances. A tourist train runs the southern end of the city and a subway system currently under construction will be available in 2016. There are so many tourist draws in Quito that it is best to plan a two or three day itinerary in advance. Suggestions for inclusion on the visit list might include the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Basilica del Voto Nacional, the Church of San Francisco, and the Church of Santo Domingo among others.

Do not permit churches and cathedrals to complete your visit list. Additionally, several museums beckon the tourist to view Ecuadorian history, architecture and art. See also Parque Metropolitano where you can walk, bike, and enjoy a picnic lunch, energizing you to continue your exploration of El Panacillo Hill with its 41 meter tall Madonna statue and finally the dazzling Old Town Quito. Absorb the culture and history of the Old Town neighborhoods, including the architecture, churches, government buildings, variety in dress, street food vendors, and musicians who pour their heart and culture into their songs and strums. A half day visit to El Mitad will gleefully enable you to straddle the northern and southern hemispheres. For the adventurous a half day journey on the TeleforiQo will take you to the summit of one of the city’s 14,000 foot peaks. Comfortable six passenger gondolas slowly and safely float you through clouds and over a deceptively steep terrain to a compact station of gift shops and restaurants. Local lore suggests that you imbibe a hot coca leaf tea to help your respiratory system adapt to the elevation. Don’t anguish over the possibility of becoming an addict; at the minimum the hot tea will warm your bones. For the fit and daring, hiking paths lead to another summit. Dress for warmth, hydrate, take your time and enjoy the spectacular scenery. To top off your memorable day, try a local restaurant that serves native fare followed by a visit to a ballet or stage that promotes local folk music.

A one or two day trip to Otavalo, located north of Quito, promises yet another view of the diversity of Ecuadorian culture. Local colorfully dressed natives abound along with small restaurants serving simple and tasty traditional fare. Otavalo boasts one of the most interesting and colorful markets in South America. It is practically impossible to escape this market without purchasing native clothing, jewelry, textiles, or even tourist trinkets of all types. Several master weavers live in the Otavalo area and will gladly guide you through their workshop, including demonstrations about how they use their looms and how they create their dyes.

Traditional patterns, designs, and subjects dominate their colorful products. You will be pressed not to purchase one of their weavings, either for practical use or striking wall decoration. Research in advance the workshop locations and enjoy how these marvelous treasures are made.

After a week of tirelessly absorbing modern and traditional cultures on the mainland of Ecuador, you are now ready for an exciting contrast on your vacation. A short plane trip from Quito to The Galapagos Islands invites nature as you have not previously experienced. Quickly hustled to a ship that you will call home for one week, you embark on a journey back in time.

Conservation International claims that Ecuador is one of 17 mega diverse nations in the world, one that inarguably has been a world leader in nurturing and protecting its biodiversity. The Galapagos, one of Ecuador’s 24 provinces and also another UNESCO World Heritage site, reflect Ecuador’s growing concern about preserving its biodiversity. Darwin’s research in the Galapagos is well documented and there is a monument and wildlife station on the islands in tribute to his work.

Daily Galapagos adventures typically include two island explorations, either to opposite sides of one island or even two different islands. A tasty and varied buffet lunch on board separates the two daily explorations. After a scrumptious breakfast trained guides accompany groups of eager nature lovers from the ship on quick 12 passenger inflatables to remarkable island destinations. Plan to recapture and relive the excitement you had as a child when you encountered wildlife. Two to three hour wellplanned and guided hikes present wildlife in its natural state. You observe sea lions, land iguanas, water iguanas, lizards, birds, including blue footed and red footed boobies as well as majestic Galapagos Hawks, tortoises, sea turtles, fish, and more. You will also see a variety of Galapagos flowers, trees, and groundcovers.

Frequently lost during the explorations is the fact that there are several niches and ecosystems that vary by elevation, climate and island. Each island presents unique life. Enjoy the variety

August 9, 2012

of beaches too. Beaches vary in color, texture and composition. Rust, black, ivory, white, and red beaches treat the eyes. Fine powder, regular sand, lava, urchin spine and shell beaches host a variety of animal life and are vital components of distinct food webs and chains. Photographers will be kept continuously busy recording images of the fabulous wildlife and landscapes.

Snorkeling in The Galapagos Islands is an experience that will soothe your soul. Your snorkeling sojourns will likely take you within feet or even inches of sea turtles snacking on seaweeds, reef sharks cruising the bottom for an easy snack, penguins rocketing by chasing an uneasy snack, a large and colorful variety of incredible reef fish finding food and avoiding being food, marine iguanas lunching on sea vegetation 10 feet below the water, and playful Galapagos Sea Lion pups engaging in some sea lion play (nibbling on your elbows). This is an underwater photographer’s marine Mecca.

All of the daily island journeys are led by well-informed guides who are expert at leading small groups through each particular niche, but to fully appreciate and understand The Galapagos Islands I might suggest reading a short travel guide about them prior to your trip. Having background knowledge about each day’s journey will enhance your understanding and enjoyment tenfold.

The wildlife on the islands is so plentiful and unafraid of humans that visitors must exercise extreme care not to step on iguanas or sea lions. Though reminded not to touch animals, you will be able to get as close as your camera needs. Feet? Inches? No problem. After a day of exploring and interacting with nature your ship’s crew has worked tirelessly to present you with clean quarters and a wonderful dinner, followed by entertainment or presentations by naturalists.

A comfortable bar serves as a perfect meeting place for visitors to unwind, socialize, discuss the day’s delights, and share excitement about tomorrow’s adventures. The Galapagos Islands have a magical quality about them coupled with a magnetic lure that will likely make you want to revisit them. Certainly, I plan to visit them again.

The Ecuadorean adventure as described here is designed to hold interest for virtually every traveler. Within two distinctly different worlds a visitor can explore unique wildlife, modern cities, small villages, cathedrals and museums, old cultures with distinct traditions, diverse geographic zones, stunning arts, a variety of cuisine, and endless landscapes and seascapes.

Whether designing the trip on your own or using a reputable tour company (Gate 1 Tours, G Adventures, Go Ahead Tours, or Smart Tours among others) you can make satisfying and personal changes to adapt the trip to your specific interests and needs. As it stands it is one of the most rewarding adventures that I have ever taken and that I can recommend to every individual, couple, group, and family.

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