FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016
THE FAYETTE COUNTY La Grange, Texas 78945
ALERT
Burn Ban In Effect County Judge Pro Tem Tom Muras called an emergency meeting of the Commissioners Court on Oct. 26 to implement a ban on outdoor fires in the unincorporated areas of the county. Muras said there have been 23 grass fires in the past 26 days across the county. Muras said he spoke with fire chiefs from around the county, who recommended the ban. Muras acted in the absence of County Judge Ed Janecka, who is vacationing in the Czech Republic.
FOR THE RECORD Monday Voting
Volume 94, Number 103
Homeland Security Chair Talks Trump, Border During Campaign Stop in LG By ANDY BEHLEN The Fayette County Record
U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul made a campaign trail stop in La Grange on Tuesday, Oct. 25. McCaul is running for re-election to his District 10 seat in the House of Representatives. The incumbent congressman faces Democratic opponent Tawana Cadien and Libertarian Bill Kelsey. McCaul has won the seat with over 60 percent of the vote in every election since the district was redrawn in 2010. McCaul also used his time in La Grange to drum-up support for Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. In an interview with the Record on Tuesday, McCaul ex-
RECORD One Dollar per Copy
Fires Flaring Across Fayette
By H.H. HOWZE
The Fayette County Record
Congressman/Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul presents an award to retiring La Grange Police Chief Jackie Skelton for his 20 years of service here. Photo by Andy Behlen
plained his reasons for supporting Trump. “(Trump) is going to be
Fayette County volunteer fire departments stayed busy last weekend with several grass fires, a vehicle fire and a fuel spill. • Two acres of corn burned on Belota-Walla Road Saturday started by a “controlled” burn. • Another two acres of pasture burned at 1726 E. SH 71 Saturday ignited by a lawnmower. This fire jumped the
adjacent railroad tracks in two places, but the spot fires were extinguished. • A third grass fire started by another “controlled” burn was reported off of State Highway 71 near Orine Road. The Ellinger Fire Department responded and the fire was extinguished. • A fourth grass fire of approximately ten acres on Halamicek Loop was started by See Fire, back page
Voting Lines Out the Door
stronger on national defense issues,” McCaul said. “He wants See McCaul, back page
Voters arriving Monday afternoon Oct. 31 for early voting are advised there may be parking limitations around the courthouse square because of Trick-or-Treat on the Square, but voting will continue until 5 p.m that day as usual.
TCHCC Exhibit
The Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center Museum will present the Josef Lada Exhibit, featuring 30 prints of the famous Czech Illustrator, from October 2016 through February 2017. Exhibit opens Saturday, Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. with a lecture on Lada and his distinctive style of art by Daniela Sipkova Mahoney at 1 p.m. Oct. 29.
Fueled by intense interest in this year’s Presidential Race, folks were lined up outside the door and down the hall on the first morning of early voting on Fayette County Monday at the courthouse in La Grange. Some 569 voted early that day with 595 more voting Tuesday. That total of 1,164 through the first two days dwarfs the 836 who voted early in the same two-day span four years ago. Early voting continues through Nov. 4 with Election Day on Nov. 8. Photo by Andy Behlen
Trunk or Treat
The La Grange Church of Christ will host a Trunk or Treat on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. in the parking lot of the church located 646 E. Highway 71 Business. There will be candy and games for the kids. All ages are welcome. There will also be free hot dogs and drinks. Everyone is encouraged to dress up.
Art Marketplace
The second annual Art Jam Marketplace will take place on the last weekend in October, Oct. 29 and 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Cment2B, 5121 Hwy 90 West in Schulenburg. More than 15 local artists and artisans will be selling their work, accompanied by live music, Cajun food, beer and wine tasting, plus activities for the kids. More information on this rain or shine event can be found on Facebook and at www.ArtJamMarket.com. There’s more For the Record on Page A2 & A6
WEATHER WATCH This Week’s Forecast High Friday: 86 Clear Saturday: 87 Clear Sunday: 88 Clear
Low 64 64 65
INSIDE TODAY Society ........................ Page A4 Obituaries ................... Page A6 Sports ......................... Page B1 Local ........................... Page C1 Classifieds ...............Page C6-9 Opinion ....................... Page D1 Crossword .................. Page D2
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LG Council Votes to Support New Bed & Breakfast Tax By JEFF WICK With her Delta Airlines identification badge around her neck, Norma Webb wears a flight attendant uniform that was her signature attire for more than 50 years. In the background, a photo collage highlights some of Norma’s exciting adventures in a life devoted to making others comfortable and happy. Photo by Elaine Thomas
Norma Webb: A Lifetime Making Others Comfortable and Happy
Before a Half-Century as a Flight Attendant, Norma Webb Oversaw a Happy Hubbub of a Refuge In WWII-era Italy By ELAINE THOMAS Special to the Record
T
he American Red Cross Enlisted Men’s Club on the third floor of the magnificent old marble opera house in Bari, Italy, was the place to be. American GIs in dress uniforms crowded the dance floor. Their partners were a bevy of smiling young Italian beauties from the nearby university, whose stern-faced mothers scrutinized the couples. The 15-piece Army Air Corps orchestra’s big band sound rose above the din of several hundred lighthearted voices. A contagious energy filled the room. Although World
Stories I’ve Been Told
A Monthly Feature by ELAINE THOMAS
War II in Europe was not yet over early in 1945, a rising tide of optimism suggested that it soon would end. Attired in a military-style tailored gray American Red Cross uniform and impeccably groomed, Norma Webb watched the pleasurable afternoon unfold yet again for her guests at this temporary haven on the Adriatic Sea. Her mission was to organize and oversee all manner of enjoyable activities intended to improve the morale of homesick young Allied servicemen before they returned to face unknown wartime futures. “You still could see the fear in the eyes of some of the GIs
who had been in the war zone. They were boys, really, younger than I was. I was glad we could do something to cheer them up for a little while. When their leave ended, they were going back to the war,” she says. However, for Norma, the dance that afternoon was just part of another day in paradise.
Lady Luck’s Smile
“I loved every minute of it,” says the La Grange resident. “When I was a child, I dreamed of seeing the world, so that job was heaven. I started out as assistant program director and then was promoted to program See Webb, Page A10
The Fayette County Record
In cities around the state, including all incorporated ones in Fayette County, people staying in hotels pay an extra tax on their stay. Those funds go towards efforts to encourage more tourism. Currently the hundred or so bed-and-breakfasts outside city limits in Fayette County don’t collect those taxes.
But an effort, spear-headed by the non-profit Fayette County Tourism Association, has begun to start collecting a county-wide hotel/motel tax at those rural lodging areas. Monday, a trio of representatives from that tourism association spoke to the La Grange City Council in an effort to get its formal support for the effort. Julie Maffei, a member of See LG Council, back page
Trick-or-Treat on The Square Monday
Beasts and ghouls of all ages, accompanied by a favorite ghoulish grown-up, are invited to the La Grange courthouse square on Halloween to trick or treat (counter-clockwise so everyone can be accommodated). Trick or Treat on the Square will be held on Monday, Oct. 31, from 4 to 6 p.m. Hosted by La Grange Main Street and Visitors Bureau, this annual Halloween celebration is fun for the whole family. The festivities will include
Halloween games on the courthouse lawn hosted by the Rotary Club of La Grange. Games will be 5 for a $1 and the funds raised will go towards Rotary Sponsored charitable giving programs. Local band, “The Smokin’ Guns,” will play as well. In addition, Tejas Health Care will be providing balloon animals on the courthouse lawn and the Remnant Church will have snow cones, face painting and balloons near the gazebo.
County Collects $1.1 Million Via Asset Forfeiture in the Past Year By ANDY BEHLEN
The Fayette County Record
Fayette County collected over $1.1 million through asset forfeiture over the last year, according to a report filed with the Commissioners Court by County Attorney Peggy Supak. State law allows law enforcement agencies to collect money and other assets from defendants
facing criminal charges. In Fayette County, much of that money comes from defendants accused of trafficking drugs on Interstate 10. Supak submitted the annual asset forfeiture report to Commissioners Court on Monday, Oct. 25. The report showed that the county collected $1,168,532.03 between Sept. 1, 2015 and Aug.
31, 2016. That money stays in the seizure account until the associated criminal cases are settled. When defendants are found guilty, the seized funds may be transferred to the county’s forfeiture account or distributed with other agencies that assisted with the cases. The county forfeiture fund See County, back page
Russell and Crystal Banks and their children Lily, Hadleigh and Violet were ready for Trick or Treat on the Square last year.