Derby Dolls Still Kicking After 50 Years Page 3-B
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Ricebirds Running Toward Sealy
Volume 135 Number 64 • Wednesday, October 16, 2019
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16 Pages, 1 Insert
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Louise fireman dies from crash injuries on any given day,” Louise LVFD Chief Tommy Johnston said standing outside the department’s fire staA Louise volunteer firefighter died tion Sunday. Saturday almost a week after being It was the department’s annual hit by a pickup on FM 647 while re- chicken fried steak dinner, an event turning to the station. Henderson helped create and mainNow, the small community pre- tain to raise funds for the departpares to honor and mourn the man ment. who served his community through Sunday, El Campo and Ganado his church and the firefighting volunchamber of comteers were out in merce and the counforce too, assisting ty as a whole as the “In the fire department, with anything they Wharton County could. we all looked to Steven Drainage District “We’ve had a lot foreman, all that of help,” Johnston as an older brother,” before he donned said, adding, “This the turnout gear of a – Louise Fire Chief has been a very hard firefighter. Tommy Johnston tragedy for Louise.” Sixty-year-old El Campo VFD Steven Henderson will be there for the leaves behind a funeral too, Chief wife, son and daughter was well as a Jimmy George Jr. said Monday. mother and three sisters. “Whatever’s needed we’ll do the best He will be buried with the full we can to help,” he said. firefighter honors of a man killed Henderson served in the Louise in the line of duty during a funeral department 13 years, previously mass starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. as its president and pension board 18 at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church president. He was honored as its in Hillje with the Rev. Clement Quai- firefighter of the year in 1994 and L-N Photo by Emily Lincke noo officiating. Burial will follow at 2002. Salute For The Fallen St. Procopius Cemetery in Louise. He was named the Louise-Hillje For more on services, please see Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the El Campo volunteer firefighters and public safety personnel offer a salute as the Louise VFD truck redubbed as “Chubby area funeral notices on Page 7-A. Year in 2008. Buddy” in honor of the late Steven Henderson passes by Tuesday morning. Henderson died of injuries sustained last week “Steven was the kind of man who when he was struck by a pickup while returning from a fire call. Another Louise fireman received non-life-threatening injuries. (See FIREMAN’S, Page 8-A) would give you the shirt off his back By SHANNON CRABTREE publisher@leader-news.com
Benavidez or Northside: school board to decide By SHANNON CRABTREE publisher@leader-news.com
Little School In Garwood Earns Place In Spotlight
Honoring a national war hero or keeping an El Campo elementary’s traditional name of Northside will be the two options school board trustees will be asked to consider between now and the November meeting. That was the determination of the 11-member school naming committee after its lone 45-minute meeting two weeks ago. The final 9-0 vote presented Northside, the long standing geographic reference, or Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez, a recipient of the nation’s
highest military honor, as the two possible names for the fourth and fifth grade campus. Several other options were presented during the session, but didn’t get enough support in the committee to be presented to school trustees. “I thought the naming committee made the right decision in asking the board to choose between leaving the name Northside or changing it to honor Master Sgt. (Roy) Benavidez,” committee member J. Paul Pope told the newspaper. “The fact that a group of fellow citizens used the petition process to request this change to honor El Campo’s only Medal of Honor winner carries great weight in my view. The board should take
up this choice in an up or down vote.” During a school board session, El Campo Councilwoman Gloria Harris had suggested the district consider renaming the campus after E.A. Greer, a long-time El Campo ISD administrator previously honored as the namesake of the West End high school during the days of segregation. After serving on the naming committee, however, Harris said the recommendation to choose between Northside and Benavidez was a good one. “I thought it was fair, the way we did it. Now it
Fall Delight At Pumpkin Patch
– See Page 3-A ALSO INSIDE: VIEWPOINT......................................Page 4-A OBITUARIES.....................................Page 7-A SPORTS.............................................Page 1-B LIFESTYLE.........................................Page 3-B CROSSWORD...................................Page 4-B CLASSIFIEDS & REAL ESTATE........Page 5-B
Louise board approves bus purchase, still debates trips By EMILY LINCKE reporter@leader-news.com
A new 71-passenger school bus was approved Monday night in a 6-0 vote by the Louise ISD school board to be purchased at an estimated cost of $96,000. Currently, Louise ISD is borrowing one school bus from El Campo ISD, as the district’s school buses are worn down. Only one of the current Louise ISD buses has working air conditioning. Louise ISD officials try to replace one of the out-of-date buses with a new one every two years. The bus that gets replaced will be either the oldest one or the one with the most
LOCAL WEATHER Wednesday
Chance of Thunderstorms DAY: 60% HIGH: 75º NIGHT: 20% LOW: 59º
Thursday
Mostly Cloudy DAY: 0% HIGH: 76º NIGHT: 20% LOW: 62º
Friday
Chance of Thunderstorms DAY: 30% HIGH: 82º NIGHT: 0% LOW: 68º
(See LOUISE, Page 5-A)
Saturday
State senator earns honors for her efforts
Slight Chance of T-Storms DAY: 20% HIGH: 89º NIGHT: 0% LOW: 72º Last Week: Avg. High: 84º • Avg. Low: 63º
RAIN GAUGE
Last 7 Days............................. 0.07 In.
Last 30 Days........................... 3.82 In. Same Time In '18...................... 2.88 In. Year To Date......................... 34.40 In. Year To Date '18..................... 29.28 In. Data Collected by LCRA at El Campo Memorial Hospital
BURN BAN LIFTED COUNTY’S MEAN KBDI: 534 Burn Ban is put into effect when the mean KBDI reaches or goes above 500.
(See NAME DEBATE, Page 5-A)
Eight-month-old Addison Rustin offers parents Torie and Brandon Rustin a rather unique grin Saturday at the annual Pumpkin Patch in Evans Park as she meets Scarecrow (aka Debbie Chappell).The event serves as a fundraiser for Theta Delta sorority. For more photos from Saturday, please see coverage on Page 6-A. L-N Photo by Rachel Rodriguez
State Senator Lois Kolkhorst, RBrenham, is being honored twice for her efforts to represent her constituents in Wharton County and residents throughout the state. Thursday, Kolkhorst will be in El Campo to accept a TORCHbearer award from the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, of which El Campo Memorial Hospital is a member. Earlier this month, the senator received a Legislative Achievement Award from the AARP of Texas (See KOLKHORST, Page 8-A)