FOR FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ACTION, SEE PAGE 1-B
Volume 132 Number 59 • Saturday, October 1, 2016
Copyright ® 2016
Prairie Days fun all day in park El Campo’s Alamo Park hosts El Campo Prairie Days all day today behind the South Mechanic Street parking lot. Admission is free along with the musical performances although there is a charge for children’s activities. An all-day $15 wrist band is available. There is no designated parking although there are spaces throughout downtown. Please respect businesses open today.
Final annexation hearing Monday By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com
The public will have a second opportunity Monday to express concerns or support for the city’s proposed annexations along the U.S. 59 corridor. The 6:30 p.m. hearing in Council Chambers, 315 E. Jackson, is specifically to hear from the public and is the only item on the agenda. Prior to the first public hearing, the targeted zone had been reduced from the southern edge of U.S. 59 roughly to CR 306/406 along most of the
route, an area including about 48 existing homes, to primarily ag and industrial land at the eastern and western edges as well as a section near the Hwy. 71 intersection. The new target area includes only about six homes. However, it is possible for the map to vary again. During the first public hearing, the owner of a fireworks company in the targeted Hwy. 71 zone expressed concern over the proposed annexation. Because fireworks are not allowed within the El Campo city limits, annexation puts his company in jeopardy barring an agreement of some sort.
10:00 a.m. GATES OPEN FREE ADMISSION Children’s Activities Craft & Food Vendors 10:30 a.m. Zumba with Monika Musgrove 11:30 a.m. MUSIC STARTS The Twilight Polka Band 1 p.m. - EC Strutters 2 p.m. - Car Show judging gets under way 2:30 p.m. - The Lone Star Drifters perform 4:30 p.m. - On stage is Star Flight Rocks 6:30 p.m. - The Slags 8:30 p.m. - Performing is Steel Country 10:30 p.m. - La Tropa F
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com
He’s not the boss, but he’s the man they all call mister. It’s about respect, they say, and the acknowledgment of hard work. At age 79, Mr. Griffin aka Robert Lee Griffin still works for the city of El Campo every day. He’s no longer on the utility crew, crawling down below street level to patch broken lines spewing water or digging out clogs. Griffin did that for 19 years before retiring the first time. But the economy and the need for more spending money brought him back to work five years ago. Now he’s the janitor, cleaning up the city’s service center four hours a day, five days a week. “I did some hard work in my life,” he told the Leader-News recalling his first job, one assigned to him at the age of nine while he still lived in the Ganado area. During harvest, he pulled a crocker sack behind him picking cotton boll by boll. Later he worked in the rice fields before heading to the oilfields in his earlier 20s. The ups and downs of that business eventually meant a layoff and Griffin turned to janitorial work for a while to support his wife and daughter, Greta Rene Griffin, who is now a teacher’s aide at Hutchins Elementary School, he says proudly. Janitorial pay at the time wasn’t what he was hoping for and he had a friend who worked for the city.
SPOTLIGHT
(See WORKER, TEACHER, Page 6-A)
Flowers Etc. & Gifts, Inc.
THEY CALL HIM MISTER: A wrench still fits well in Robert Griffin’s hands after almost two decades of using them in trenches although he doesn’t use them as much any more. He plans to keep working – at least for now.
To learn more about this business, see the
LOCAL WEATHER Saturday Mostly Sunny DAY: 0% NIGHT: 0%
HIGH: 83º LOW: 63º
Sunday
Mostly Sunny DAY: 0% NIGHT: 0%
HIGH: 86º LOW: 66º
Monday
Mostly Sunny DAY: 0% NIGHT: 0%
HIGH: 87º LOW: 67º
Tuesday
Mostly Sunny DAY: 0% NIGHT: 0%
(See PUBLIC HEARING, Page 8-A)
City Blue-Collar Worker Still On Job At 79
LOCAL BUSINESS
VIEWPOINT......................................Page 4-A SPORTS.............................................Page 1-B LIFESTYLE.........................................Page 3-B CHURCH LISTINGS..........................Page 4-B CLASSIFIEDS & REAL ESTATE........Page 5-B
Council members Gloria Harris and Steve Ward questioned the change as well. “If this is all we annex, what’s the next step? Isn’t that what’s the point? Taking in the houses?” Ward asked during a subsequent Council discussion period. City Manager Mindi Snyder told the LeaderNews Friday, “The main purpose of proposing the annexation was to align with the recommendation from the 2020 Comp Plan and update ... Both plans address the importance of managing
Workin’ For A Living
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
8:30 a.m. - Museum “Run Wild” Color Roar starts 9 a.m. - Car Show sign-In
BUSINESS AND SERVICE DIRECTORY
75¢
14 Pages, 3 Inserts
El Campo ISD trustees consider new stadium turf By JODY LARIMER reporter@leader-news.com
Installing new turf at Ricebird Stadium will be considered by El Campo ISD trustees in October. The good news is, the money’s already been put aside to do so. Board members Tuesday requested the replacement turf, as well as tearing down restrooms underneath the home bleachers, be placed on next month’s agenda after Superintendent Kelly Waters raised the topics.
“There’s a long list of things we’ve talked about,” Waters said. Several improvements were discussed in July 2013 including bond projects just finished, turf replacement, restroom demolition as well as repairing and seal-coating the high school parking lot. Replacing the stadium turf has been in the planning a while, with trustees allocating $50,000 annually since 2007 for the project. Athletic Director Wayne Condra and Maintenance Director Jeff Balcar approached Waters
about replacing the turf. Natural grass was replaced by artificial turf, along with a new track, costing the district around $1.5 million in 2008. Using artificial material requires minimal maintenance. No mowing, fertilizing, watering or painting lines on prior to a game is necessary. However, Balcar has been doing increasingly more work to keep all the pieces in place. The turf was new to the market at the time (See DISTRICT PLANNING, Page 7-A)
Medical experts warn flu season here now By JODY LARIMER reporter@leader-news.com
HIGH: 89º LOW: 72º
Last Week: Avg. High: 82º • Avg. Low: 69º
RAIN GAUGE
Last 7 Days............................. 0.18 In.
Last 30 Days........................... 2.07 In. Same Time In '15...................... 2.21 In.
Year To Date......................... 32.51 In. Year To Date '15..................... 35.69 In. Data Collected by LCRA at El Campo Memorial Hospital
BURN BAN LIFTED COUNTY’S MEAN KBDI: 365 Burn Ban is put into effect when the mean KBDI reaches or goes above 500.
Cooler temperatures predicted this weekend, while welcomed, are a reminder flu season is near meaning it’s time to get your flu shot. Although local clinics have reported no influenza cases todate, an outbreak can happen at any time. They are more likely during flu season, though, which runs nationwide October to May. “The number one myth is that you get the flu from the flu shot,” Mid Coast Medical Clinic Physician’s Assistant Laura Williams told the Leader-News Wednesday. “It can give you symptoms like a runny nose, aches or fever, but it does not give you the flu.” The viruses in the flu shot are killed, or inactivated, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As it takes about two weeks for the virus-protecting antibodies to become active, health officials encourage getting the shot as soon as possible. “Absolutely,” Williams said Wednesday. “I’ve got mine already.” (See FALL SEASON BRINGS, Page 8-A)
Get Your Shot
Contributed Photo
El Campo Memorial Hospital Registered Nurse Rhonda Harfst gives a flu shot to Stacey Silvas, ECMH discharge planner, during the hospital’s flu shot program earlier this month. Flu season runs nationwide from October through May and officials encourage residents to get flu shots as soon as possible.
Page 4-A
Viewpoint
El Campo Leader-News • Saturday, January 23, 2016
www.leader-news.com
Letters to the Editor
lettertoeditor@leader-news.com
Pick-up effort well beyond call of duty
Predicting the twists and turns of the future remains the province of prophets, actuaries, odds makers and, ultimately, the All Mighty. But on Jan. 24, 2003, third grader Tiffany Taylor, the eight-year-old daughter of Darlene Kight Taylor and Randal Taylor wrote, “I, Tiffany Taylor, pledge to make a difference in the world by making Christian movies and ministering to people all over the world.”
Editor, the Leader-News: On a Friday morning early in January, I fell on the driveway outside my house while taking the trash to the street. When the trash pick-up truck drove by, I called out to the men on the truck for help. They never hesitated. The three men immediately jumped from the truck and ran to assist me in any way they could. Asking for permission first, two of the men picked me up. They carried me inside my house to the chair where I directed them. They brought me the phone and stayed with me while I called 9-1-1. I wish to commend them for their actions and thank them for their kindness. They were caring and concerned, giving me every attention they would have given their own grandmothers. I have lived in El Campo my entire life. These three gentlemen and their actions are the perfect example of why El Campo is such a wonderful town. Maureen Bishkin Staller
Jerry Aulds
Nation’s changing face prompting civil unrest The lights are burning late in Davos tonight. At the World Economic Forum, keynoter Joe Biden warned global elites that the unraveling of the middle class in America and Europe has provided “fertile terrain for reactionary politicians, demagogues peddling xenophobia, anti-immigration, nationalist, isolationist views.” Evidence of a nationalist backlash, said Biden, may be seen in the third parties arising across Europe, and in the U.S. primaries. But set aside Joe’s slurs – demagogues, xenophobia. Who really belongs in the dock here? Who caused this crisis of political legitimacy now gripping the nations of the West? Was it Donald Trump, who gives voice to the anger of those who believe themselves to have been betrayed? Or the elites who betrayed them? Can that crowd at Davos not understand that it is despised because it is seen as having subordinated the interests of the nations and people in whose name it presumes to speak, to advance an agenda that serves, first and foremost, its own naked self-interest? The political and economic elites of Davos have grow rich, fat and powerful by setting aside patriotism and sacrificing their countries on the altars of globalization and a New World Order. No more astute essay has been written this political season than that of Michael Brendan Dougherty in “This Week,” where he describes
8 year old’s pledge sets good works in motion
Pat
Buchanan how, 20 years ago, my late friend Sam Francis predicted it all. In Chronicles, in 1996, Francis, a paleoconservative and proud son of the South, wrote: “[S]ooner or later, as the globalist elites seek to drag the country into conflicts and global commitments, preside over the economic pastoralization of the United States, manage the delegitimization of our own culture, and the dispossession of our people, and disregard or diminish our national interest and national sovereignty, a nationalist reaction is almost inevitable and will probably assume populist form when it arrives. The sooner it comes, the better.” What we saw through a glass darkly then, we now see face to face. Is not Trump the personification of the populist-nationalist revolt Francis predicted? And was it not presidents and Congresses of both parties who mired us in wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen, and negotiated the trade deals that have gutted American industry? The bleeding of factories and manufacturing jobs abroad has produced the demoralization and decline of our middle class, along with the wage
stagnation and shrinking participation in the labor force. Is Trump responsible for that? Is Socialist Bernie Sanders, who voted against all those trade deals? If not, who did this to us? Was it not the Bush Republicans and Clinton Democrats? Americans never supported mass immigration. It was against their will that scores of millions, here legally and illegally, almost all from Third World countries, whose masses have never been fully assimilated into any western nation, have poured into the USA. Who voted for that? Religious, racial, cultural diversity has put an end to the “bad” old America we grew up in, as we evolve into the “universal nation” of Ben Wattenberg, who once rhapsodized, “The non-Europeanization of America is heartening news of an almost transcendental quality.” James Burnham, the ex-Trotskyite and Cold War geostrategist whose work Francis admired, called liberalism “the ideology of Western suicide.” If the West embraces, internalizes and operates on the principles of liberalism, Burnham wrote, the West with meet an early death. Among the dogmas of liberalism is the unproven assumption that peoples of all nationalities, tribes, cultures, creeds can coexist happily in nations, especially in a “creedal” nation like the USA, which has no ethnic core but rather is built upon ideas. A corollary is that “diversity,” a
new America and new Europe where all nations are multiracial, multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual, is the future of the west and the model for mankind. Yet, large and growing minorities in every country of Europe, and now in America, believe that not only is this proposition absurd, the end result could be national suicide. And when one considers the millions who are flocking to Trump and Sanders, it is hard to believe that the establishments of the two parties, even if they defeat these challengers, can return to same old interventionist, trade, immigration and war policies. For Trump is not the last of the populist-nationalists. Given his success, other Republicans will emulate him. Already, other candidates are incorporating his message. The day Francis predicted was coming appears to have arrived. Angela Merkel may have been Time’s Person of the Year in 2016, but she will be lucky to survive in office in 2017, if she does not stop the invasion from Africa and the Middle East. Yet Joe Biden’s dismissal that it is reactionaries who oppose what the progressives of Davos believe is not entirely wrong. For as Georges Bernanos wrote, when Europe was caught between Bolshevism and fascism: To be a reactionary means simply to be alive, because only a corpse does not react any more – against the maggots teeming on it. Copyright 2016 Creators.com
Opinions or views expressed by individual columnists or in Letters to the Editor are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper. Also, while the LeaderNews strives for accuracy, errors may occur, and will be promptly corrected once they are brought to the attention of the editor.
Tiffany’s pledge carried on and beyond with steady growth and commitment. When she and her family moved to Palacios, her commitment grew and prospered, garnering trophies and as being named a Distinguished Youth of Texas finalist. The then 12-year-old Tiffany earned a second place trophy in the essay competition, another award for qualifying for state competition and a third for making the Top 10 Young Miss of Texas 2005 Merit Finalist. When interviewed, she was poised, polite and for her written essay, she answered the question, “If you were a refugee, what would you take?” Tiffany responded she’d take her Bible just as she had during the evacuation from Hurricane Rita. “No matter what I could bring, this is the choice that gives me hope,” she wrote. Tiffany’s pledge again came to the fore with the publication of her short story, “Song of Angel Mask” published in “The Anthology of Short Stories by Young Americans.” For it, she was honored by the Palacios Independent School District. The newspaper story in the Palacios Beacon noted she hoped to attend college at Regent University in Virginia. When I spoke with Tiffany and her mother Darlene at an El Campo store, they then and there showed me material on the rest of the pledge story. Tiffany eventually moved back to El Campo, graduating from El Campo High School. Through all her years of high school and also two years at Wharton County Junior College, she enjoyed acting and singing. She also enjoyed a sojourn in the Big Apple which she told me included singing in an opera production on stage at Carnegie Hall. Lately, the young diva has enrolled at – you got it – Regent University in Virginia. Her course of study? Right again – acting, directing and producing “Christian movies.” And her pledge remains intact. “I will never stop learning, and I will never give up. However, I will give in to God,” she said. Passionate and committed. That third grader’s pledge is still intact and in action. I suspect from this point forward, Tiffany Joy Taylor will always be following and living her pledge. Look for a film or musical near you produced and directed by Tiffany who was most likely inspired by you know who.
THE EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS (USPS 169520) is published semi-weekly on Wednesday and Saturday for $48 per year in Wharton County; $63 per year out of county; and $87 per year out of state; and $48 per year for the online edition by Wharton County Newspapers, Inc., 203 E. Jackson St., El Campo, Texas 77437. Periodical postage paid at El Campo, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the EL CAMPO LEADER-NEWS, P.O. Box 1180, El Campo, Texas 77437.
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Sports
El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, September 28, 2016
www.leader-news.com
Page 1-B
sports@leader-news.com
Wharton Co. Football 2016
Birds fly
to NEEDVILLE EC tries to down Bluejays
By CHRIS WIMMER sports@leader-news.com
El Campo opened district play last Friday with a chaotic win over West Columbia to improve to 5-0, 1-0 and to keep the Ricebirds entrenched in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football state rankings. The Birds stayed at No. 4 for another week after beating WC 42-28. Only perennial powerhouses Argyle, Carthage and Waco La Vega are ahead of EC. But the Ricebirds remained outside the top 10 in the Texas AP poll, checking in at No. 14. EC’s dominating win over the Roughnecks featured 9 total turnovers and the emergence of transfer running back De’Andre Gibson. This week, the Birds travel to Needville for the second year in a row as a result of district realignment. Ricebird fans are forgiven if they didn’t recognize Gibson as he gashed WC for several long runs. The transfer from Sweeny totaled 30 yards on 8 carries prior to Friday. On Homecoming, he rushed for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 6 carries. “He broke on some sweeps and it was some great blocking up front, because that’s where it all starts,” EC Head Coach Wayne Condra said. Gibson’s production was in addition to 18 carries, 163 yards and 2 TDs by Nery Enriquez and 10 carries for 83 yards by quarterback Brock Brandl. Deaderick Hollaway, Enriquez and Jerric Chapman split the majority of the carries the first two weeks. Tate Fuechec and Gibson have taken on increased workloads in the last three games while Chapman remains sidelined with an injury. Jared Haller and Julian Pena provide depth to a stable of running backs that has size, speed and quickness. “Our guys relish the opportunity when they get it and they’re all eager to go,” Condra said. “When their chance comes, they’re ready to go.” On the other side of the ball, EC’s defenders have created turnovers at an (See EC, Page 2-B)
El Campo @ Needville 7:30 p.m. Bluejay Stadium
BY THE NUMBERS:
5-0 4-1 7
EC record
Needville record
Turnovers created by EC defense versus West Columbia
21.5
Yards per carry by RB De’Andre Gibson vs. WC
593
Yards of offense by Needville QB Logan Archer
L-N Photo by Jay T. Strasner
Congrats
Assistant Coach Craig George congratulates wide receiver Wesley Arrambide after a second half Ricebird touchdown. Arrambide intercepted a West Columbia pass early in the game that helped EC establish its presence in the first quarter.
Hornets face Woodsboro on eve of district play By CHRIS WIMMER sports@leader-news.com
Louise @ Woodsboro 7:30 p.m. Eagle Stadium
BY THE NUMBERS:
0-4 1-4 496
LHS record
Woodsboro record
Yards of offense by LHS QB Colin Gonazales
278
Receiving yards by LHS WR Carlos Garcia
17.4
Yards per catch for Garcia in 2016
Louise will return to the field Friday night for its final tune-up before league play begins. After three home games in a row, the Hornets (0-4) were on a bye last week and will travel to Woodsboro to close their non-district schedule. The Eagles (1-4) are coming off of a 55-0 loss to Yorktown last week, but LHS Head Coach Heath Clawson warned that the score was misleading. He said Woodsboro played without 11 starters against a program that went to the Regional playoffs last year. “Last week’s score is definitely not indicative of (Woodsboro),” Clawson said. “They’re a lot better than what that shows.” The Hornets spent their bye week returning their numbers to full strength and focusing on key areas of improvement. Players with the potential to recover from nagging injuries during the time frame have done so. The offense is more confident in its knowledge of the system. “When I call something (on offense), there are no questions,” Clawson said. “They’re pretty sure of everything we’re doing and it’s showing up in the fact that we can practice faster and get more reps.” Clawson is eager to see the offensive line continue to improve and he hopes for more consistency this week. The Hornets have shown the potential to sustain drives, but have
Gaining Ground
L-N Photo by Chris Wimmer
Quarterback Colin Gonzales uses a block to run through the hole against Burton. Gonzales has been learning under fire as a sophomore QB playing varsity for the first time, but the offense is beginning to gel under his leadership. struggled in the red zone. They have scored on big plays, but have faltered at times when trying to finish long sequences. Though they’ve had trouble scoring points, they’ve proven they can
move the ball. Quarterback Colin Gonzales has 305 yards passing and is the team’s leading rushing with 191 yards. Senior standout wide receiver Carlos Garcia has accumulated 278 yards on 16 catches.
On defense, Clawson summed up the unit’s needs in two words: tackling and aggression. In previous weeks, he liked the way the players were putting themselves in the right positions to stop opposing offenses, but now they need to complete plays with solid tackGARCIA les. As for being more aggressive, he wants the defenders to “be sure of what we’re doing and not second-guessing ourselves. Just flying around and having fun.” Woodsboro has a varied offense that will use spread concepts as well as power running schemes. On defense, Clawson said the Eagles are “aggressive up front.” The Hornets will leave the friendly confines of Louise for the first time in a month as they continue to search for their first victory. “To get our first win, to gain some confidence from that, would be big for us going into district,” Clawson said. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Eagle Stadium in Woodsboro.
Lifestyle
El Campo Leader-News • Wednesday, July 20, 2016
www.leader-news.com
Page 3-B
lifestyle@leader-news.com
Double Blessing First cousins, Ariella Kay Espericueta, left, and Miles Ryan Vasquez, were born the same day, Friday, June 29, 2016, in the same Victoria hospital.
Sisters deliver babies same day, same hospital By QUALA MATOCHA lifestyle@leader-news.com
W
ith due dates only a few days apart, sisters Melanie (Maria) Brito Vasquez and Sandra Brito Espericueta were excited when their babies were born on the same day in the same hospital. Wednesday, June 29, Melanie and husband Chico Vasquez Jr. gave birth to their baby boy Miles at 4:33 a.m., while Sandra and husband Andy had a little girl, Ariella, at 6:30 p.m., both at Detar North in Victoria. Born less than two years apart, Melanie and Sandra have always had a special bond. Experiencing pregnancy together and giving birth the same day has created an even deeper bond they say. “Now we have another special memory we will always be able to share,” Sandra said. “Growing up, my sister and I were always very close,” she added. “We did everything together. Throughout our pregnancy, I had someone every step of the way who knew exactly how I was feeling because she was going through the same thing.” “It was very exciting sharing a moment like this with my sister,” Melanie said. “Me and my sister, who I pretty much see as my twin, shared a very special moment together.” The two, who are 1 year, 9 months apart in
age, shared more than just a delivery date. “We would always talk about how our appointments went and anything new that happened throughout the pregnancy,” Sandra said. “We had the same doctor, so at times we had appointments on the same day.” Sandra found out she was pregnant on Halloween. This would make the couple’s third addition to their family, with Sandra having son Isaac and Andy daughter Ally, both eight years old, from previous marriages. Melanie learned she was pregnant with their second child about a week later in early November. Their oldest child, Chico III, is three. While Melanie’s original due date was July 12, she was going to be induced on July 6 and Sandra was due July 8. But both never made it to the month of July. “I was scheduled to be induced on July 6, but went into labor early morning June 29,” Melanie said. “I woke up around 2 a.m. with pain from contractions.” She and her husband hesitated on making a trip to the hospital, thinking they were false contractions. “We finally decided to leave around 2:30 a.m.,” she said. “Everything happened so quickly, by the time we knew it the baby had finally arrived.” “Melanie had her son at 4:33 a.m.,” Sandra said. “What was crazy is that around the
same time, I was beginning to have contractions at home not knowing my sister was in labor.” When she learned the news, Sandra dropped by that morning to check on her sister before heading to her scheduled doctor’s appointment. “Around 12 (noon) I got a phone call from her telling me that she was heading to the hospital to deliver also and, of course, we could not believe it,” Melanie added. “I was so excited and just couldn’t believe that both babies would be born on the same day.” “When we called our family, they were
shocked, excited and in disbelief,” Sandra said. “We definitely were the talk of the hospital that day.” The doctor did not get there on time for Miles’ arrival, but was there in time for Ariella’s delivery. “All the nurses at the hospital seemed just as excited as we were to hear that two sisters were delivering the same day,” Melanie said. “One nurse in particular had told me that in her 19 years as a nurse she had never been at the hospital when two sisters delivered the same day, so she was very excited to have (See SISTERS KEEP IN TOUCH, Page 5-B)
Sisters & Kiddos Pictured above, Sandra Espericueta of El Campo, left, and Melanie Vasquez of Louise, right, are pictured with their children during a joint baby shower they had with family and friends. Children are (l-r) Isaac Torres, Ally Espericueta and Chico Vasquez III.
Contributed Photos
Family Bond The Brito sisters, (above) Sandra Espericueta of El Campo, left, and Melanie Vasquez of Louise, right, are almost two years apart in age, but their newly born babies share the same birthday. The sisters gave birth to their babies Wednesday, June 29, at Detar North in Victoria. Sandra and husband Andy had a girl, Ariella, and Melanie and husband Chico Vasquez Jr. had a boy, Miles.
Number Three Above, the Espericueta family welcomes the third addition to their family, Ariella, shortly after she was born the same day as her cousin, Miles Vasquez.