SEALY NEWS THE
Check out Relay for Life photos PAGE 16
Serving Sealy and Austin County since 1887 • Home of Jamie Wallace
Volume 127 Number 19
Recycling bin back at News' office
By JOE SOUTHERN
Sealy AARP Sealy AARP Chapter 1505 will meet on May 8 at 11 a.m. at the Hill Community Center.
reporter@sealynews.com
At more than 2.5 miles above ground, the view is remarkably similar to what's on Google Maps. Exiting an airplane at that altitude, the ground zooms in seemingly as fast as a computer mouse can scroll in for a close-up. Rather than the silent glide on a computer monitor and the delayed focus, the world comes into rapid focus as the air whips noisily by at 120 miles an hour. A drogue chute eventually slows the speed to 60 mph, which is scantly noticeable in the thin, cold air. After falling from 14,000 feet to 6,000 feet in the span of a
minute, a cord is pulled, releasing a parachute and instantly enveloping its occupants in blissful tranquility for a gentle, six-minute descent to terra firma. That scene plays itself out dozens of times a day just southeast of Sealy at the Gloster Aerodome, a small grass airstrip where Westside Skydivers Houston is based. One of two skydiving companies serving the Houston area, Westside has been steadily growing in the last 17 months it has been open for business here. “It’s nothing like you see in the movies,” manager Austin Ely said while describing the skydiving experience. Everyone experiences a tan-
22 pages, $1
Early voting up in Sealy
Skydiving company soars over Sealy
The Sealy News has contracted with a new company to provide a recycling bin for paper in the parking lot of the office, located at 193 Schmidt Rd. The bin takes paper only, no cardboard please. Proceeds from the recycling go to HOAMeals on Wheels. For questions please call (979) 885-3562.
NEWSBITS
THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014
Proposed city charter changes PAGE 6B
By JOE SOUTHERN reporter@sealynews.com
The numbers are in and early voting us up since last year in the Sealy municipal and Sealy Independent School District elections. As of Monday afternoon, with a day and a half left in early voting, the city had recorded 193 ballots and the Sealy ISD 220. That is up from last year when there were 170 city votes and
dem jump their first time, meaning they are strapped to an instructor. Anthony “Pinky” Gelleny, 24, is a certified tandem jump instructor for Westside. “I’ve wanted to jump since I was 16,” he said. On his 18th birthday – the minimum legal age to jump – his friends found excuses to bail out on him, but he forged ahead.
■ VOTING, page 7
■ SKYDIVING, page 10
Acting in Austin
Dinner theater The Sealy High School Theatre Department is holding a dinner theatre and silent auction on Thursday, May 8. They will be perform its championship play, “Mary Stuart” (still in competition on the UIL circuit). The dinner is by Ben’s Chuckwagon – chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and salad. Dinner and show is $12; dinner only is $9; and show only is $5. Dinner is 6-7:30 p.m. Show is at 8 p.m. Silent auction items include a Consuela Bag, Tiger Spirit items, a walk on role in the musical, autographed scripts and photos and reserved seats for next season’s shows.
The Sealy News/JOE SOUTHERN
Sealy High School (SHS) theater department is back at State UIL competition. The One-Act Play took first place last week in the regional competition in Corpus Christi and will compete in the state contest for the first time in four years. At left are Kelly Verm, Riley Hindahl and Sam Wilson rehearsing a scene of “Mary Stuart” at SHS on Monday. They will compete May 19 in Austin. See a picture of the whole team on page 2.
Bake Sale Trinity Lutheran Ladies Aid will have its annual Mother’s Day bake sale on Friday, May 9, starting at 9 a.m. at Citizens State Bank.
COUNTYJUGE
Candidates address EMS, Obamacare, budget process
TODAY'SOBITUARIES ■ Joseph Desgrange
BIBLEQUOTE There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18
Thank a
Veteran and Serviceman everyday
The Sealy News/COURTESY PHOTO
Above are Sealy FFA members Clayton and Allison Schram, Jenna Hein and Austin Young. The team earned third at this year's state competition.
(NOTE: This is the first of a two-part series. The second part will run next week.) By JOE SOUTHERN
FFA places third in state On Saturday the Sealy FFA Livestock Judging team of Clayton Schram, Austin Young, Jenna Hein and Allison Schram took third place in state at the Texas FFA Career Development Event (CDE) contest at Texas A&M University. Sealy earned the opportunity to compete Saturday by advancing
through district and area contests. More than 600 FFA chapters fielded a Livestock judging team with approximately 2,400 students competing at the area levels to qualify for the state contest. The top 360 contestants representing 92 FFA chapters from across Texas qualified for the ■ FFA, page 8
reporter@sealynews.com
The two men locked in a runoff election for Austin County judge are in the final weeks of a long campaign. John Graham and Tim Lapham were the top two vote getters in the six-way March 4 Republican primary and are in a runoff election on May 27. The
winner will take the seat being vacated by retiring Austin County Judge Carolyn Bilski on Jan. 1, as there are no Democratic or Independent candidates for the November General Election. The Sealy News posed a series of questions to the two men. Their answers appear below and will conclude in ■ JUDGE, page 8
The Sealy News • 193 Schmidt Road • P.O. Box 480 • Sealy, Texas 77474 • phone: (979) 885-3562 • fax: (979) 885-3564 • www.sealynews.com
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SEALY NEWS THE
Stafford ends Sealy's football season PAGE 5
Serving Sealy and Austin County since 1887 • Home of John Zientek
Volume 127 Number 46
NEWSBITS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
The Sealy AARP group will meet at 11 a.m. on Nov. 20 at the Hill Center.
Farmers market forming A Bellville Farmers Market informational meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. at First National Bank of Bellville 100 E. Main. Anyone interested in being a vendor at the market (which will start up in May) is urged to attend. For more information, contact Tomi Beth at 979865-3679.
By DAVID HAYDON reporter@sealynews.com
Pecan Show and Bake Sale
Liedertafel Hall birthday party Liedertafel Hall turns 100 this year and a birthday celebration will be held Dec. 6 to mark the occasion. The celebration will include, music, a brief history of the building, a gallery of historical photos, German band, food (bratwurst and sauerkraut), beer, and a birthday cake. The festivities will begin at 11 a.m. with the cutting of the cake at 12:30 p.m. Anyone who was married or celebrated a major life event at the Liedertafel is invited to share their pictures during the celebration. Please email them to publisher@sealynews. com or bring them by The Sealy News. Special care will be given to the photos and they will be returned. ■ NEWS BITS, page 13
TODAY'SOBITUARIES ■ Robert Caldwell ■ Johnnie D. Krenek Sr.
BIBLEQUOTE I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. Philippians 3:10
Thank a
Veteran and Serviceman everyday
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The Austin County Pecan Show and Bake Sale will be Friday, Nov. 21. Entries will be accepted between 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. For entry forms and rules, call 979-8652072 or visit austin. agrilife.org.
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The Sealy News/DAVID HAYDON
Got this under control A San Felipe-Frydek firefighter checks for any missed spots after hosing the perimeter of Sealy High School’s Nov. 13 bonfire. The Sealy Volunteer Fire Department as well as the Cat Spring VFD were also stationed on opposite sides of the fire, which was encompassed by several hundred students and parents.
WATCH D.O.G.S. getting dads involved at school By DAVID HAYDON reporter@sealynews.com
Judd Cochran began the day by helping students get from their cars and buses to inside Sealy Elementary School. From there, it was a morning of helping students with their backpacks, running errands for the front office, attending classrooms and herding students to the cafeteria for lunch. If you think Cochran is one of Sealy ISD’s teachers, think again. He’s part of the Dads Of Great Students, also known as WATCH D.O.G.S., and they’ve arrived at Sealy’s elementary for the first time. Cochran took a moment between eating with his firstgrade son, Campbell, to explain. “Basically it’s a program trying to get father figures in schools,” Cochran said. “There was a letter sent home, and so I volunteered to be here. There are many (students) that need that male influence in their lives. There are so many that don’t have it right now.” WATCH D.O.G.S. was born out of the National Center for
The Sealy News/DAVID HAYDON
Judd Cochran gives a thumbs-up to a first grader during lunch at Sealy Elementary School. Cochran is a participant with WATCH D.O.G.S., an organization that gives students a positive male role model during school activities. Fathering. The organization coordinates the dads into doing cook-offs, organize recess or even look out for bullying, but the specifics change literally day by day, and dad by dad. “Today it was getting ready for the book fair,” Cochran said. “Moving tables and chairs around. I also went to one of the second grade classrooms.” Specifics or not, WATCH D.O.G.S. spend the entire day
at school, and they get as much as they give. “With all that’s involved in just getting kids to lunch,” Cochran said. “It’s a massive undertaking. It’s been really good just to be at the school.” Assistant Principal Lisa Svoboda said that they tried to figure out how to organize the WATCH D.O.G.S. into a coher■ DADS, page 3
Angel Tree benefits local seniors In an effort to make Christmas a little jollier for Sealy seniors, The Sealy News has again partnered with Silver Lake and The Oaks for this year’s Angel Tree to bring smiles to the faces of seniors at both retirement communities. Many of the residents live on fixed incomes and being away from family can be tough during the holiday season. Local residents, however, can make their Christmas more festive by giving a small gift.
The Angel Tree will go up next week at The Sealy News office. It features special ornaments representing each of the residents at Silver Lake and The Oaks. To sponsor a senior’s gift, head over to The Sealy News and select an ornament. Each ornament on the Angel Tree has name of a senior and a few items they’d like for Christmas. Take the ornament, go to a store and purchase an appropriate gift. Any gift is welcome, but most residents are looking for simple
items including blankets, socks, gloves, towels and washcloths, shirts, candles and personal hygiene products. The gifts should be returned wrapped to The Sealy News office by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17, to be made available that week. More information about the Angel Tree program can be obtained by phoning The Sealy News at 979-885-3562 or by coming to the newspaper’s office in person, located at 193 Schmidt Road, across from Walmart.
The Sealy City Council spent the beginning of the Nov. 11 meeting announcing several holidays and making proclamations, but were all eager to go to the YMCA. Or they would be, if the Y had a building in Sealy. Ryan Reichardt spoke on behalf of the several Sealy area YMCA board members. “We’ve had a dream since the Y started that one day we would have a building here in Sealy. We wanted to get to a time when we had the programs to sustain it,” Reichardt said. “We think that that time is now. We’ve had tremendous success in all our programs.” The proposed building (15,000-17,000 square feet) would cost approximately $4 million and be placed at Jacqueline A. Cryan Memorial Park, near where the lazy river is proposed. Form and function would include aerobics, fitness, a locker area and pools, among other plans. “From an operation standpoint we need to be centralized,” he said. According to Reichardt, a $1.5 million donation has been pledged to help build the facility (anonymously for the time being). The Y predicts it can raise an additional $500,000, but Reichardt made a point to mention they do not want to own the building or the land. “That’s the gist of it. We are asking for tax dollars,” Reichardt said. “I don’t want to do that, but we’re offering a $2 million contribution to this. We’re not looking for a handout.” Councilmember Yvonne Johnson praised the idea. “No question. Just a ■ YMCA, page 12
Fantasy of Lights hitches a ride on the Polar Express The Sealy Community Foundation rings in the holiday season with Sealy’s 28th Annual Fantasy of Lights festival Dec. 5-6. The weekend’s theme is Polar Express and is packed with activities for all ages including live entertainment, arts and crafts booths, food vendors, holiday home tours, a barbecue cookoff, a 5K and 1K fun run benefitting the Sealy
See more information about Fantasy of Lights on page 7. PTA, softball tournament, pageants, the 100th celebration of Liedertafel Hall, and the Kids Fantasy event with crafts, live snowfall and a visit from Santa himself. It’s all capped off with a tree lighting and lighted ■ FANTASY, page 13
The Sealy News • 193 Schmidt Road • P.O. Box 480 • Sealy, Texas 77474 • phone: (979) 885-3562 • fax: (979) 885-3564 • www.sealynews.com
THIS
WEEK'S WEATHER According to The Weather Channel
Thursday • Friday • Saturday • Sunday • Monday • Tuesday • Wednesday
High: 69 Low: 60 Rain: 40%
High: 73 Low: 63 Rain: 60%
High: 73 Low: 54 Rain: 90%
High: 77 Low: 51 Rain: 0%
High: 65 Low: 43 Rain: 10%
High: 56 Low: 37 Rain: 10%
High: 61 Low: 44 Rain: 0%
This week's weather art is by Kelly Santamaria, 5, a student at Selman Elementary School.
SPORTS
WWW.SEALYNEWS.COM
SEALY NEWS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014 ■ PAGE 5
Sealy ruffles Houston Furr 50-18 By CHRISTOPHER HUNT reporter@sealynews.com
The Sealy Tigers traveled to JonesCowart Stadium in northeast Houston Friday night to take on the Furr Brahmans, and the Tiger faithful in attendance were not disappointed with what transpired. Furr took the opening kickoff and had some early success driving the ball down the field, but eventually ran into a buzzsaw as the Tiger defense stood tall and forced the Brahmans to punt. On Sealy’s opening possession, senior quarterback Holten Einkauf made sure the Tigers were first on the scoreboard when he found a tightly covered Hunter Fronczak on a long bomb down the middle of the field. Displaying great concentration, Fronczak grabbed the ball out of mid-air after it was deflected by a Furr defender and easily made his way into the end zone. Head Coach Jason Holcomb didn’t waste any time in deciding to go for two. On the attempt, running back Titus Davis pushed the Furr defense but was unable to break the plane of the goal line, leaving the score at 6-0 early in the first quarter. After a failed fourth down attempt by the Brahmans on the following possession, the Sealy offense took over on downs and steadily marched down the field. The 58-yard drive was capped off as Davis found the end zone from four yards out. The ensuing two-point attempt saw some miscommunication between quarterback and running back, and Einkauf was stopped just short of the goal line, and the Tigers led 12-0 as the first quarter came to a close. After a lot of backand-forth to start the second quarter, the Tigers seized an opportunity to add to their lead as Einkauf called his own number from the two yard line. Titus Davis barreled through the Brahman defense for a successful twopoint conversion, giving Sealy a comfortable 20-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Furr finally got on the board with 1:25 remaining in the half as quarterback Micheal Davis found wide receiver Stacy Piro from
48 yards out. The Brahmans went for 2, but Davis, who was all over the field that night, forced the Furr quarterback to fumble as he rolled to his right. The scoreboard now read Sealy 20, Furr 6. The Tigers were not pleased with a 14-point lead heading into the locker room, so Einkauf led the offense down the field once more. Following a 23-yard completion to Fronczak and with time running out, he spiked the ball at the Furr 5 yard line. With 4 seconds left before halftime, he rolled to his right and found wide receiver Jake Miller open in the end zone. The try for two was again successful as Einkauf lined up in the shotgun, faked a handoff, and ran it in virtually untouched. The Tigers were now in complete control as they marched off the field, holding a sizable 28-6 halftime lead. Sealy started the second half with great field position after the Furr kickoff went out of bounds. The offense took the field, and Einkauf quickly found a wide-open Charles Brooks down the left sideline to increase the lead to 34-6 with 11:48 left in the third quarter. Furr wasn’t ready to give up just yet, as quarterback Micheal Davis led his team on a lengthy, impressive drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run. After the Tiger special teams blocked the extra point attempt, the score stood at 34-12 with 5:56 left in the third quarter. The Brahmans weren’t able to move the ball on the Tiger defense for the remainder of the quarter, so when Sealy got the ball back, they were determined to capitalize. With 28 seconds left, Davis found a crease off the left side from one yard out for his second touchdown of the game. At the end of the third quarter, Sealy was leading by the score of 42-12. The fourth quarter saw the two teams trade touchdowns, and Sealy walked out of Jones-Cowart Stadium a 50-18 winner. Einkauf finished the game 14/22 for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns; he also carried the ball eight times for 53 yards and one touchdown. The running
The Sealy News/MINDY BLANKEMEYER
Tigers quarterback Holten Einkauf (14) dodges a tackle in the recent matchup with Houston Furr. Einkauf had one rushing touchdown during the game and also threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns. game for the Tigers was very solid, as Davis and Keyontae Tolbert combined for 125 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. In the receiving department, Fronczak led the way with four receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. Charles Brooks had 62 yards receiving and a pair of touchdownss. Defensively, the Tigers showed their might, allowing only 210 yards to the Furr offense. “We were just able to run the ball really well, and when you run it like we did tonight, that opens up some things in the passing game,”
Sealy grad gets college football honor Sealy High School graduate Kris Brown, a student at University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and defensive back, has been named American Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 19. Brown was
honored for his performance in the Cru’s 45-24 victory over Louisiana College. Brown, a sophomore cornerback, led UMHB with a careerhigh 11 tackles against the Wildcats. He also tied a school single-game record with six pass
break-ups. Brown had nine solo tackles, two tackles for loss and returned a blocked field goal 26 yards to set up a Cru touchdown. Brown also had an interception return for a touchdown that was called back due to a penalty.
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coach Jason Holcomb said after the game. Homecoming is next week, and the Tigers will host a Wheatley Wildcats team that will surely be looking to give the Tigers their best shot after a 56-0 loss to Navasota Friday night. The game is also significant because Sealy and Wheatley hold identical records, and the winner of this one will move into second place in the district, behind Navasota. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
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