City Council Position 1 runoff is Saturday, June 21 7 a.m. - 7 a.m. City Hall 415 Main St.
SEALY NEWS THE
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Serving Sealy and Austin County since 1887 • Home of Willie Mae Dzierzanowski
Volume 127 Number 25
THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014
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Sheriff closes most of jail, ships inmates to Fort Bend By JOE SOUTHERN reporter@sealynews.com
The Austin County Jail is experiencing a jailbreak, not from the inmates, but rather the guards. Due to a loss of staff and an inability to compete with neighboring counties for salaries, Sheriff Jack Brandes closed most of the jail and on Monday began shipping inmates to
Fort Bend County. “We don’t have enough people employed to keep the new jail open,” he said, referring to a newer addition to the jail that houses 50 of the 87 beds at the facility. The inmate exodus comes at great cost to the county. It will pay Fort Bend County $55 per inmate per day. Brandes said nine inmates were trans-
ported in the first load. On top of that is the cost of fuel and other vehicle expenses for the transport, the loss of time for deputies to make the more than one hour round trip to Richmond several times a day, and the declining morale at the jail. Brandes said it takes a minimum of 16 jailers to keep the full jail in operation and 12 to operate the 27-bed
older portion. He currently has 15 and two of those are newbies with incomplete training. As part of the cutbacks, all work crews have been suspended and the jail is no longer taking Class C misdemeanor cases from the cities. Capt. Lynn Drake, the chief jailer, said the minimal staff leaves little room for anyone to get sick or take a ■ JAIL, page 9
NEWSBITS
County approves jailers' overtime
Diabetes walk Support those with diabetes and help to fight the disease by joining the American Diabetes Associations’ Walk to Stop Diabetes on Saturday, June 21, at Jaqueline Cryan Memorial Park. The walk starts at 9 a.m. and entry is $10. There will also be booths from local health and fitness providers.
By JOE SOUTHERN reporter@sealynews.com
Wallis Dance Club The Wallis American Legion Dance Club will hold its monthly dance on Saturday, June 21, with music by The Kreneks, playing good country western and mixed music for your pleasure from 8 to 11:30 p.m. So come out and enjoy. There will be lots of door prizes and free coffee. For more information, call Steve Muzny (979) 478-2494 or Charley Janik (979) 478-6226.
Chicken fried dinner Sunday, June 22, the Sealy KC’s will hold a fried chicken dinner, dine in or drive through, serving 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sealy KC Hall.
KC Gala The Sealy Knights of Columbus annual Gala is set for Saturday, July 26, at 6 p.m. at the KC Hall located at 1310 Highway 90 West in Sealy. Tickets are now available. Call (713) 296-9387 with questions.
The Sealy News/JOE SOUTHERN
A van with the first load of nine inmates left the Austin County Jail on Monday morning headed for the Fort Bend County Jail. The inmates were moved so most of the Austin County Jail could be closed due to staffing shortages.
The Sealy News/JOE SOUTHERN
Digging in San Felipe Steve Salyer, left, and Larry Ripper dig for artifacts Tuesday at San Felipe de Austin State Historical Park as part of an excavation taking place this week in search of the remains of a hotel that burned with the rest of the community when colonists fled San Felipe during the Runaway Scrape in 1836. Experts believe that a brick cellar from the hotel may remain on the site.
The Austin County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Monday to do away with comp time and to pay overtime for jailers at the Austin County Jail. The move comes during a crisis where Sheriff Jack Brandes was forced to close a major portion of the jail and ship inmates to Fort Bend County due to a shortage of jailers. (See related story.) The first vanload of transferred inmates rolled past the courthouse while the court was preparing to convene. Brandes said he has
■ Johnny Earl Gilbert ■ Shirley Anne Vykoukal
BIBLEQUOTE Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Thank a
Veteran and Serviceman everyday
■ OVERTIME, page 9
Discord, infighting at city council Runoff election Seating, figuring out how agendas are set dominate meeting discussion. June 21 By AMBER GONZALES editor@sealynews.com
It’s not everyday that the Sealy City Council gears up for battle, but since the election last month, it seems that every meeting has become a civil war. “We need to focus on the
building of this city…,” said councilwoman Yvonne Johnson at the meeting June 10. “We need to be concerned with being a unified council with our mayor and with our city staff.” Since Mark Stolarski has taken up the mayor’s seat, he members of the council and
have been disputing basic governance policy, how to set the agenda and seating within the council chambers. With the city’s attorney present to deal with questions from the council and a full audience, ■ COUNCIL, page 8
Cook-off entry open until July 9
■ NEWSBITS, page 7
TODAY'SOBITUARIES
been losing jailers to neighboring counties that pay more and said he is unable to attract qualified applicants to replace them. “This is a step in the right direction,” he said of the action by the commissioners. He informed the court that he has lost several jailers in the past month, has another that has given notice to leave, and has others openly applying for other jobs, leaving him with no qualified applicants in the offing. He said even if he did have the applicants that it takes three to six months to train them
The summer heat, the smell of brisket and the glory of a champion title – the fifth annual Sealybration BBQ Cookoff is one of the tastier attractions of the summer festival and potential cookers still have a chance to enter the competition. The cook-off begins July 11 with awards announced the afternoon of July 12. The entry fee is $100 for brisket, pork spare ribs and chicken with a $10 jackpot per entry for margarita, chef’s choice and pinto beans. Prizes include showmanship; $150 for first place in each category; $125 for second place; and $100 for third; as well as $400 for grand champion; and $200 reserve overall.
The entry deadline is July 9. Contact chairperson Aaron Ward at award@legendhomescorp.com for questions or access form and official rules online at http://sealycommunityfoundation.weebly. com/bbq-cookoff.html. Please make checks payable to Sealy C o m m u n i t y Foundation. They can be mailed to Ward at PO Box 406, Sealy, Texas 77474. Applications are available at www. SealyCommunityFoundation.org for Sealybration 2014 food and retail vendors, the cook-off, tractor show, car show, 5 Alarm 5K fun run and softball and beanbag tournaments. Sealybration is Austin County’s “can’t
The Sealy News/AMBER GONZALES
Team Doctor Smoker took home Grand Champion as well as third place brisket at last year's cook-off..
miss” summer event held July 11-12. It’s packed with activities for the whole family to enjoy, including a
patriotic parade and carnival. It’s all capped off with an awesome fireworks display Saturday night.
Election Day for the city council runoff between Michael Kubricht and Dwayne Virnau is Saturday, June 21. Voting is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at city hall, located at 415 Main St. Results will be posted as soon as they become available online at www.sealynews.com. Virnau and Kubricht, who were the two top vote getters in the fourway race in May. Virnau said that, as a member of the city council, he would ensure infrastructure is in place to accommodate growth in downtown and other parts of the city as well. Virnau identifies the major challenges to the city as providing additional water supply and sewage treatment in preparation for growth. But he also wants to make sure that the council meets the dayto-day challenges as well as a vision for the city in the next 20-30 years. “Sealy is a great place to live and I want to make sure Sealy is always a great place to ■ RUNOFF, 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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THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014 ■ PAGE 9
THE SEALY NEWS
OVERTIME
JAIL
continued from Page 1
continued from Page 1
before they can begin working in the jail. “We have the same problem with dispatch and with our deputies, it just hasn’t hit us this hard,” he said. It was easy for him to come up with an example. “Washington County just hired one of my best dispatchers,” he said. Brandes said Waller County pays jailers a higher salary and Washington County pays the same as Austin but also pays overtime. He said the comp time owed to his employees continues to accrue because of staffing shortages. “You can’t buy a loaf of bread at the grocery store with comp time,” he said. During the workshop with commissioners, Brandes and two chief deputies outlined a bleak situation, but also came with solutions. Approving the overtime pay was the top solution. Opening funds in the budget was another. Brandes said he was postponing construction of a garage for storage of vehicles in evidence to free money from forfeiture funds to replace two or three vehicles so he will not need to request them in next year’s budget. That saves about $120,000. He is also using forfeiture funds to replace uniforms, freeing an additional $10,000 in this year’s budget. “Our uniforms are completely worn out … and our fleet is getting a lot of miles on it,” he said. Judge Carolyn Bilski and the four commissioners were sympathetic and appeared eager to find a solution. “Can we do anything today to stop the bleeding?” asked Precinct 1 Commissioner Reese Turner. “What can we do today that says we don’t want to lose three or four more (jailers)?” Brandes said adding the overtime was critical to that process. He also promised strong oversight of the hours. Under the agreement reached with commissioners, the jailers will work their standard 84 hours each pay period, but will be paid their regular salary for 80 hours and will receive four hours of overtime. He said any further overtime will require documentation and approval. “I stand accountable for more than four hours of overtime,” Brandes said.
vacation. “We can’t do this for long,” Drake said. “We’re going to wear them out.” He said being a jailer is a difficult job because of the long hours and the type of clientele they work with. “It’s not a nice place to work,” he said. Drake said it is very likely that there will be more jailers leaving before more can be hired. “Some are actively applying,” he said. Brandes said the safety of the staff and the inmates are paramount and that if the staffing falls too low he will be forced to close the jail and export all of the inmates to other counties, most likely Fort Bend because of the existing agreement between the counties. The pay wall The crux of the problem is the low pay for the jail staff and the nonexistent overtime pay. “The reason people are leaving the jail is because of the pay,” Brandes said. He said the Austin County Jail has become a training ground for neighboring counties where
the pay is higher. A jailer in Austin County earns $32,879 a year. “Waller County flat pays more money,” he said. “Washington County pays about what we do but they pay overtime.” According to Chief Deputy Craig Davis of the Waller County Sheriff’s Office, jailers there are paid $16.86 and hour, which equates to just over $35,000 a year. “It’s quite a bit above what all of the smaller surrounding counties pay,” Davis said. He said that has nearly eliminated turnover at that jail except to replace those who are promoted to the patrol division in the sheriff’s office. Brandes explained that the compensation plan allows for the jail staff to work 84 hours every two weeks. They must then work an additional two hours before overtime hours kick in. County policy, however, requires comp time (one and a half hours for each hour worked overtime) rather than overtime pay. Brandes said that is difficult to do when there is little room to give people time off. Salaries are set by the commissioners court. County Judge Carolyn Bilski said
money is tight and increasing salaries could be very difficult. “The county has a limited revenue stream,” she said. “All departments are critical to serving the public’s needs. We as a court must be wise and work together with each department head or elected official to spend this limited revenue for all needs. “I am confident if we work together, we can find solutions, but we will never be able to compete with salaries with those larger neighbor counties who have much bigger amounts of revenue coming in until the taxpayers trust the
court to increase taxes if necessary to meet our county’s growing demands or additional industry brings in a larger tax base,” she said. Brandes said he is doing what he can to minimize the number of inmates at the jail. He said having deputies highly visible in the county helps deter crime. He also credited District Attorney Travis Koehn’s office with expedience of clearing cases and reducing wait times at the jail. “We kind of work together. We do our job and he does his job and we keep the taxpayers happy,” he said.
Austin County Youth Rodeo Association 6 Week Summer Rodeo Series
Wednesday, June 11th • Wednesday, June 18th Tuesday, June 24th • Thursday, June 26th Wednesday, July 2nd • Wednesday, July 9th Awards Banquet and Auction Saturday, July 11th Coshatte Hall Year End Awards Include: *4 All round saddles *4 Reserve all round buckles *22 Event buckles *2nd thru 6th place in each event receives tack prizes * Participation Awards Goat Ribbon Pulling Goat Tying Straight Away Barrels Pole Bending
Age Groups: *6 & under *7 – 10 yrs old *11 – 14 yrs old *15 – 19 yrs old
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Sign up at 6:00 nightly • Rodeo begins at 7:00 nightly Austin County Fairgrounds Limited to Austin County Youth Only! For more information please call 979-204-3630 Or email Compton@industryinet.com
Funding the outlet mall and recent leaders Take a look at what was heading The Sealy News through the decades, and what events helped shape the Sealy and Austin County we know today. 10 years ago: •The Sealy Tiger Band marched at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando with two other Texas high school bands. They spent three and a half days at the Disney Parks. •Ian Bader announced that he would run for county judge as a Democrat. •Joe Scranton Jr. Resigned his post as mayor pro tempore and nominated then councilwoman Chris Schavrda to replace him. With an impending resignation from then mayor Betty Reinbeck, he was expected to be the first black mayor of Sealy, if only for a short time before a special election was held. 20 years ago: •The proposed factory outlet mall was still in the talking stage with the city. The city
AMBER GONZALES Looking Back gave the go-ahead to start the financing process for what would become the Sealy Outlet Mall. The city administrator was to develop funding to cover a $930,000 development of water and sewer lines. Additionally, $195,000 was allocated by the Farmers Home Administration toward the cost. Other funding would come from certificates of obligation and a TIRZ. 40 years ago: The old Hackbarth building, as it was known then, got a new look from John Kirksey and Associates, architects from Houston. The building sits on Main Street and was built in 1906. Richard Hackbarth assumed the property from his father and remodeled it in 1930. His daughter, Mrs. S.J. Salomon, took ownership in 1956. The owners in 1974, Alvin L. Freeman, James S. McBlane and Robert E. Tesch, planned to
develop office suites. 60 years ago: •Foebel’s Radio Shop received a $50 prize from a sales contest by Houston Lighting and Power Company. The contest covered sales of electric ranges during a 3-month period. 70 years ago: •The chairman of the Austin County War Finance Committee appealed to citizens to exert “every effort in behalf of the Fifth War Loan.” Since the Normandy Invasion earlier that month, there was a boost of energy for providing for the war effort and for the income of the men serving abroad. The bank post office sold $8,912.50 the week after the invasion. Wallis bond drive reached $8,396 that week. 80 years ago: •Attracting one of the largest crowds, the match between Primo Carnera and Max Baer was the highlight of the
Recognize me? The Sealy News has boxes full of old photos that were submitted throughtout the years. We’re giving them one last chance to be claimed (two weeks from publishing) before they are turned over to the Sealy
Area Historical Society. We’ll feature two each week. If you recognize these photos, please come by the office at 193 Schmidt Rd. in Sealy, call (979) 8853562 or email editor@sealynews.com.
week, although it was all the way in New York at Madison Square Garden. Baer was named the new heavyweight champion through the 11th round with a technical knockout.
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SEALY NEWS THE
Serving Sealy and Austin County since 1887 • Home of Noil Frisby
Volume 127 Number 8
Bubak files for Sealy mayor's seat Sealy councilmember Everett Bubak III filed to run for mayor. He is the only person as of Monday evening to file for election in the May 10 municipal election. Bubak is in his first term at the Place 5 councilmember. Mayor Nick Tirey is term-limited and ineligible to run. The Place 1 council seat held by Mark Stolarski is also up for election. No one has field for that position as of Monday evening. The deadline to file for election is Feb. 28 at City Hall.
NEWSBITS AARP Sealy AARP Chapter 1505 will meet at 11 a.m. at the Hill Community Center in Sealy Feb. 20.
Texana Trot The Texana Center provides services to people needing behavioral, intellectual and developmental care, support and education. Its 3K Fun Walk will be Saturday, March 1, at the Texana West Campus in Rosenberg. Registration begins at 8 a.m. There will be vendors, arts and crafts sale, face painting, kids games and food and it all supports Texana services. For more information call (281) 239-1427.
KC Fried fish, dance The Sealy Knights of Columbus will host a fried fish dinner on Sunday, March 2 at the Sealy KC Hall starting at 11 a.m Drive through or dine in. Price is $9 a plate. This K. C. sponsored dinner is being held in conjunction ■ NEWSBITS, page 9
TODAY'SOBITUARIES ■ Rose Marie McAdam Coats ■ Emmet Eckhart, Sr.
BIBLEQUOTE May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Jesus Christ had. Romans 15:5
Thank a
Veteran and Serviceman everyday
Lady Tiger softball starts PAGE 7
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014
34 pages, $1
SPD chief on admin leave City manager files complaint against Tollett By JOE SOUTHERN reporter@sealynews.com
Sealy Police Chief John Tollett was placed on paid administrative leave Feb. 10 after a complaint was filed against him. The nature of the complaint has not been made known, however, Noel Johnson, a representative from the Texas Municipal Police Association
(TMPA), was at the city council meeting the next night said he believes it was in response to his office being called regarding Sealy Police Department benefits for oncall comp time. City Manager Chris Coffman and Mayor Nick Tirey both said in interviews after the meeting that they couldn’t comment because it is a personnel matter.
“A complaint was filed against him (Tollett) and we’re investigating that right now,” Tirey said. Coffman later acknowledged that he made the complaint and said after the investigation is complete that action will be taken to either discipline, reinstate or terminate Tollett. In the meantime, Capt. Jay Reeves is acting as interim
chief. “ T h e city is well provided for and prot e c t e d with the staff we h a v e , ” Coffman said.
John Tollett
■ CHIEF, page 2
Illegal dumping at state park Panel seeks charter changes
Authorities cracking down on violators By JOE SOUTHERN
By JOE SOUTHERN
reporter@sealynews.com
reporter@sealynews.com
Authorities at Stephen F. Austin State Park are cracking down on illegal dumping in Bullinger Creek on the park’s western boundary. On Jan. 7, a crew of park staff and volunteers cleaned debris from the creek at the Peters San Felipe Road bridge. Park Superintendent Derin DePalermo said the problem is nothing new. “It’s been going on for a long time … decades,” he said. “It’s always been a problem.” On a cold, rainy day, volunteers filled a long, flatbed trailer with trash, such as a bathtub, mattresses, a house door, 23 tires, and lots of filled trash bags. DePalermo said it is his goal to put an end to the dumping at the site and to restore it to its natural state. He said he has an active case against one person who dumped at the site and he intends to pursue others. Park police have increased patrols in the
Sealy’s City Charter Review Commission has returned to city council recommendations for revisions to the city’s home rule charter that brings the city’s ordinances into compliance with state laws. The commission, chaired by Mark Miller, has been reviewing the city’s home rule charter since October and made five recommendations that the city will place before voters for approval. Those changes include defining ways the city can obtain property, changing the way vacancies are filled on city council, allowing council to set a definite term for the city manager, clarifying the power of the city manager to suspend or fire department heads, and the ability to make emergency amendments to the budget to handle unforeseen circumstances. The city’s charter requires a review every
■ DUMP, page 2
The Sealy News/COURTESY PHOTO
Stephen F. Austin State Park Superintendent Derin DePalermo places garbage in a plastic bag while helping clean up an illegal dump in Bullinger Creek on Jan. 7.
■ CHARTER, page 18
Austin County Primaries 2014 Below are profiles of unopposed county commissioner and justice of the peace candidates. This is the last of a series on all the county candidates.
King seeks second term Kollatschny returning Yancey experienced as county commissioner as judge for Precinct 3 judge in Precinct 1 Doug King may have been born in Bellville, but Wallis is the only home he’s known. “I’ve never lived anywhere else,” he said. King is now entering the fourth year of his first term as county commissioner for Precinct 4 and will return for four more years, as he is facing no opposition in the March 4 Republican primary or in the November General Election. King, 44, is a graduate of Brazos High School and received an associates degree ■ KING, page 18
Cheryl Kollatschny began her career in law enforcement as a court clerk in 1982. Today, after a career as a sheriff’s deputy in Galveston and Austin counties, Kollatschny, 58, is seeking her fourth term as the Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace in Austin County. She is running unopposed in the March 4 Republican primary and will not face a Democratic or independent challenger in the November General Election. Kollatschny is a native of New Orleans and grew up in the Galveston area. She ■ JP3, page 9
Rick Yancey has been in law enforcement for 31 years and will be adding at least four more years to that number as he runs unopposed in the March 4 Republican primary for Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace in Austin County. Yancey, 52, is married to Deborah and has three stepchildren and five grandchildren. Originally from Friendswood, he resides in Milheim and is a member of Cat Spring Lutheran Church. After college, Yancey served as a police ■ YANCEY, page 2
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DUMP continued from Page 1 area in an attempt to catch violators. “Did you know that dumping as little as six pounds of garbage can result in a Class B misdemeanor and land you a trip to jail?� he asked. Warning signs are posted at the bridge. “We did put signage up about a year ago,� he said. Additional signage done in the style of state park signs is scheduled for placement at the site soon. DePalermo said that in addition to the trash being an eyesore, there are serious environmental concerns as well. Bullinger Creek is a spring-fed, sandy-bottomed creek that rises three miles northwest of Sealy, runs through the park and drains into the Brazos River. DePalermo is concerned that debris and any toxic chemical or liquid waste could harm wildlife and plants or contaminate the water. “If somebody drops something it could be washed out into the Brazos River,� he said. In a press release, DePalermo said there are other problems with the illegal dumping. “Beyond endangering wildlife and the important land surrounding our park and our neighborhoods, the trash in Bullinger Creek robs us of an
important part of our history. Stephen F. Austin believed this creek was essential for colonization. “In the early 1900s, before personal swimming pools and neighborhood splash pads, Bullinger Creek was the place to see and be seen with friends. Its proximity to town, the clear spring water, and sandy soils made for an excellent local swimming hole. “By concentrating our efforts on cleaning up trash, we hope to preserve our shared history and the environmental services this creek provides,� he said. DePalermo said there are also potential legal issues that could arise from polluting the water. “With recent legal issues arising locally over water rights and access, we hope to do our part and preserve this precious commodity,� he said in the press release. “In the natural resource business, we say that ‘Everyone lives downstream,’ referring to the ability of pollution and waste to spread into our water cycle and degrade the environment. “Every piece of trash that has been dropped, affects not only our watershed, the land and its wildlife, but it affects people as well. So, do your part to keep our lands and state parks litter free,� he said.
The Sealy News/COURTESY PHOTOS
(Top photo) Volunteers and staff from Stephen F. Austin State Park filled a trailer full of debris from Bullinger Creek on Jan. 7 while cleaning up an illegal dump where the creek runs under Peters San Felipe Road. (Above) Volunteers and staff members remove garbage from the illegal dump in Bullinger Creek on the west side of Stephen F. Austin State Park.
CHIEF continued from Page 1 A message left for Tollett seeking comment was not returned by press time. Johnson, however, was adamant in his assertion that Coffman was the source of the complaint. In a telephone interview on Friday, Johnson said Coffman suspended Tollett after the chief provided the TMPA with information about the city’s comp time policy for on-call employees. “We know where the complaint against him comes from and it comes from the city manager,� Johnson said. Johnson said he “found it unusual that the city manager approved over-time for three members of the public works department� for being on-call but that the police department has “two individuals on-call each week and they don’t get paid for it.� “Once the TMPA found out about this, on behalf of our members we approached the chief to find out what we
TOOTH TRUTHS
have to do to get this benefit for the officers,� Johnson said. He said Tollett provided all the requested information. “The city manager discovered he was providing the information we requested and he suspended the chief for communicating with us,� he said. Johnson said he called Coffman and requested to be on the agenda for the Feb. 11 city council meeting, but was too late. Johnson did attend and spoke for his allotted three minutes during public comments. “We have some real concerns about the strong, adverse reaction from the city manager toward the chief when he is just trying to get a benefit for his officers,� Johnson told The Sealy News. Coffman would only confirm that he was the one to make the complaint but declined to discuss it citing personnel matters. “This is to protect his (Tollett) privacy,� he said. Click on to
forwww.sealynews.com local news and sports click to for all your on local www.sealynews.com news and sports!
ROSE MARIE MCADAM COATS Rose Marie McAdam Coats was born in San Jose, Cali. on Aug. 12, 1953. She died at her residence in Sealy on Feb. 5, 2014. Rose attended high school in Powell, Wyo. and graduated with the highest honors. She went on to complete her associates degree in only three semesters. Rose married Ron Coats on Jan. 6, 1973 in Powell, Wyo. They had two children, Michelle Philips and Angela Sarang. Rose worked at the Great Escape from 1988 until 1998. She went on to work at AL&M Supply in both Sealy and Columbus from 2003 to 2013. In her later years she lived for her grandchildren - Cody, Jade and Jeremy Phillips, Sierra Fales and Camiriana Sarang. She loved watching their games, any sport and was their biggest supporter in any activity they chose to participate. The memorial service was held on Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. at the Hill Community Center in Sealy. EMMETT ECKHART SR. Emmett Eckhart Sr., 85, was born in Ringsted, Iowa, and died Feb. 16, 2014, in Sealy. Graveside services will be held at Linwood Cemetery in Boone, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014. Visitation will be held at Knesek Funeral Chapel, 768 Fourth St., Sealy, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m.
YANCEY continued from Page 1 officer for 15 years. He was elected justice of the peace for Precinct 1 in 1999. He is seeking his fifth, four-year term and is unopposed in the primary and will face no Democratic or independent challenger in the November General Election. “I have always strived to provide people with a court that is responsive to their needs and where they will receive a fair and impartial trial,� he said.
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