FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021
La Grange, Texas 78945
INSIDE 2021 HUNTING, FISHING, & WILDERNESS GUIDE
OUTDOOR adventures publication of
JIGSAW
LOCAL ADVENTURES Hunters, Fishermen, & Outdoor Enthusiasts Share Their Fun Memories
WEAPONRY
From sporting rifles to semi-automatics the crew at Jigsaw Weaponry aim to please
CAMPING FOR BEGINNERS
Campers should familiarize themselves with some of the basics of camping before embarking on their trips
MAEKER’S SAUSAGE Shiner-based business has been making sausage since 1967
Politician’s Followers Wage Battle Against Local Law Enforcement on Social Media Criticism of Incidents Cause Sheriff’s Dept. to Pull Plug on Popular Facebook Page By ANDY BEHLEN The Fayette County Record
KLEIBER
TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT subeheadline will go here when dad finishes his damn story
Outdoors Guide
Glossy magazine focusing on local hunting, fishing and outdoor adventures is free inside today’s newspaper.
Volume 99, Number 103
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office deleted its Facebook page last weekend after receiving a mass of comments criticizing its enforcement of the drug war. The episode unfolded on Friday after Spike Cohen, the 2020 Libertarian Party candidate for Vice President, left a comment on an old Sheriff’s Office Facebook post from June 20. The post reported an arrest
from the day before in which two Sheriff’s deputies and a pair of Schulenburg Police officers arrested a man in Schulenburg for three outstanding warrants. While searching the man, deputies found him in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. The man was arrested for the warrants and charged with possession of a controlled substance and child endangerment. The Sheriff’s Office Facebook post included a photo of the drugs, a needle and a crin-
kled one dollar bill with a white substance on it. “You took the man’s dollar,” Cohen commented on the post. “In addition to making sure that he stays addicted to meth (convicted addicts are exponentially more likely to remain addicted than addicts who are given treatment instead of prison time), you took the man’s dollar. Goodness knows what kind of harm he could have done with a single dollar bill.” See Sheriffs Dept, Page A6
Food Truck
Central Texas Food truck will be at St. John, Fayetteville, on Thursday, November 4, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. for drive thru distribution only.
Harvest Carnival
The Fayetteville PTC will be hosting is annual Harvest Carnival on Friday, Oct. 29 at St. John’s Catholic Church Pavilion in Fayetteville from 4:30 to 8 p.m. The evening will be filled with fun for all ages. There will be games, a dunking booth, cake walk, face painting, bucket raffle, raffle, prize wheel, photo booth and craft booth. Kids are encouraged to wear a costume for the costume parade. You won’t want to miss out on the delicious beef stew, chili, hot dogs, Frito pie and nachos. Snow cones and drinks will be available. You can dine in the hall or under the pavilion or get food to go. You can get raffle tickets from any FISD student. Come out, enjoy the evening and support the Fayetteville PTC.
Tamale Sale
The St. Paul LYO is holding its annual Tamale Sale. Cost is $12 per dozen. All pork, spicy or mild. Place orders by Nov. 5 at the church office at (979) 9685657. Pick up from St. Paul Fellowship Hall Tuesday, Nov. 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. There’s more For the Record on Page A2
WEATHER WATCH This Week’s Forecast High Friday: 74 Sunny Saturday: 78 Sunny Sunday: 83 Sunny Monday: 80 Partly cloudy
One Dollar per Copy
Flatonia Looks to Move Forward After Heated Meeting, Mayor Quitting By ANDY BEHLEN The Fayette County Record
Flatonia Mayor Bryan Milson resigned from office on Oct. 14. The City Council will meet on Nov. 9 to consider options for his replacement. In the meantime, Mayor Pro Tem Catherine Steinhauser will exercise the duties of mayor. Milson said he resigned to spend more time on other pursuits. “My family comes first and I have decided to step down as mayor so I can spend more time with them and my close friends,” Milson said in a letter to Flatonia citizens that was published in the Oct. 21 Flatonia Argus newspaper. “I feel its time to focus on enjoying life without drama,” Milson said in the letter. Milson took office as mayor in 2014 after several terms as a councilman. In all, he served 11 years in elected office in Flatonia. Much turmoil has taken
place in the Flatonia government over the past two years. The City Council hired Sarah Novo as City Manager in March 2020. She replaced former City Manager Mark McLaughlin, who left Flatonia in November 2019 to take the city manager job in Kingsville. Soon after Novo’s arrival, she launched an investigation into “serious financial and operational concerns” at City Hall. That investigation led to the early retirement of former City Secretary Melissa Brunner. The City Attorney at the time, Angela Beck, resigned in the wake of Brunner’s departure. The City hired Heather Ambrose to replace Brunner as secretary in March of this year. Ambrose and Novo both resigned at the same time in August of this year. Novo cited a lack of support from elected leaders in her brief resignation letter. Ambrose submitted a See Flatonia, Page A4
An old section of the “new” La Grange City Cemetery. The City will consider raising fees for burial plots in the cemetery later this year. Photo by Andy Behlen
Dying to Get In
Cost of Cemetery Plots to Jump in LG By ANDY BEHLEN The Fayette County Record
The price on real estate in a certain part of La Grange might soon go up 70 percent, and people are literally dying to get a piece. La Grange City Manager Shawn Raborn presented a plan to the City Council on Monday to raise the fees on burial plots in the La Grange City Cemetery. The City currently charges $500 per plot to residents and $1,000 to non-residents. Those fees would go up to $850 for residents and $1,700 for nonresidents.
Raborn said the fees, which provide for perpetual care, have not been increased since 2003. He said the increases are needed to keep up with inflation. “When you spend your $500 to be interred here forever, we really take care of you forever,” Raborn said. Raborn presented Council with a survey of rates from other nearby cemeteries. La Grange was tied with Fayetteville for the lowest fees.
City Resident Non-Res. La Grange $500 $1,000 (current) La Grange $850 $1,700 (proposed)
Schulenburg $650 $850 Smithville $750 $1,500 (plus $75 interment fee) Bastrop $1,500 $3,500 College Sta. $1,450 $1,450 Memorial Oaks Katy $9,995
Council did not take any action on Raborn’s proposal. Raborn said he would bring the proposal back for action at a meeting later this year. He suggested that the fees could go into effect in January or February 2022. Raborn said the City should expect a surge in cemetery lot purchases before the new fees take effect. See Cemetery, Page A4
Bonfire & Spooky Stories on the Bluff
Come enjoy local legends and tall tales of Fayette County. Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill State Historic Sites will host a bonfire and spooky stories program on Saturday, Oct. 30. Gates open at 6 p.m. for guests to watch the sunset and bring your own picnics to enjoy. Weather and conditions permitting, the bonfire will be lit around 6:45 p.m. Spooky stories begin at 7 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring picnics, beverages, chairs or blanket, and flashlights. The sites regular admission fees apply to this program, but it is free for Friends Group members. For more information, call (979) 968-5658 or email kbmh@thc.texas.gov.
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Golf Cart Ordinance Fails by 5-3 Vote in LG
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The Fayette County Record
Low 46
By ANDY BEHLEN
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Burn Ban Is Lifted
INSIDE TODAY Obituaries ................... Page A3 Sports ......................... Page B1 Weekend ..................... Page C1 Classifieds ...............Page C2-4 Public Notices ............ Page C5 Opinion ....................... Page D1 Crossword .................. Page D2
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Monster Dash Costume Finalists included: Tyson Mendel, Casen Strickland, Brock Mendel, and Camden Strickland (the Avengers); Camden Demel (baby shark); Clay Hoffmann (astronaut); Kathy and Nita Chovancec (fancy ladies); Lyric Ahrens (giraffe); Brooke Shimek (mermaid); Cate Hooper (Elvis); Dawson, Paisley and Harper Guentert (Anna, Elsa and Olaf), and Emma Kubala and Will Keilbach (Ken and Barbie). Not pictured - Raven Demel (Native American Indian).
9th Annual Monster Dash Was Spooky Fun The organizers of the 9th Annual Monster Dash were excited to welcome perfect weather and a Spooktacular crowd for their event on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Jack & Mary’s in Schulenburg. Participants enjoyed trickor-treating at Boo Around the Block, music and yummy provisions served up by the And Then Crew at the Happy Camper food trailer. The longest standing tradition of the Mon-
ster Dash is the Jack Hooper Halloween Costume Contest. This year there was a new format where secret judges selected ten finalists. Those finalists included: Tyson Mendel, Casen Strickland, Brock Mendel, and Camden Strickland (the Avengers); Raven Demel (Native American Indian); Camden Demel (baby shark); Clay Hoffmann (astronaut); Kathy and Nita Chovancec (fancy ladies); Lyric Ahrens (giraffe); Brooke
Shimek (mermaid); Cate Hooper (Elvis); Dawson, Paisley andHarper Guentert (Anna, Elsa and Olaf), and Emma Kubala and Will Keilbach (Ken and Barbie). The overall winners were Emma and Will Keilbach! The actual Monster “Dash” was held to see who was fastest in town. The winners of this event included: Pre-k/k - Kenny Houston, Elementary - Braxton Howlett, Junior High - Charlie See Monster Dash, Page A4
La Grange City Council voted down a proposed golf cart ordinance by a vote of 5-3 Monday night, Oct. 25. The ordinance would have regulated the use of golf carts on City streets and created a registration and inspection program. Councilman Dusty Littrell led the effort to establish the ordinance. Councilmen Quenten Gonzalez and Chris Jernigan supported the ordinance as well. The rest of the Council voted against it. “I’ve talked to city managers, council members, police chiefs and officers from a number of towns,” Littrell said. “The consensus I got from every single one of them was that when they put it in place, whether they were for it or against it, once they put it in place is wasn’t a big deal. They don’t have issues. Not one single town I’ve spoken to has reported an accident.” Police Chief David Gilbreath was not present for Monday’s
meeting, but he has opposed the golf cart ordinance over safety concerns since Littrell first brought up the idea at the Sept. 13 meeting. The ordinance presented at the meeting this Monday included a $100 fee for registering golf carts with the City. The registration would be good for two years. “I think adding the extra fee provides funds for the city, pays for decals and for manpower for our police department to help regulate this,” Gonzalez said. Littrell said the officials he spoke with in other towns said police would likely encounter some violations when golf carts are first allowed. “To start out with, you may have a few, but its not an ongoing issue,” Littrell said. Gonzalez said the golf cart ordinance could improve quality of life for residents. “I kind of disagree with that,” said Councilwoman Kathy Weishuhn. “I feel it See Golf Cart, Page A6