Fire Department Crews Staying Busy
VOL 20 • ISSUE 16
By Wade Thibodeaux While a lot of us are complaining about having to stay at our home and having nothing to do, the Winnie Stowell Volunteer Fire Department/ Chambers County Emergency Services District No.1 has been getting calls for help left and right. Pictured below are just some of the calls that they have responded to lately. Pasture fires seem to draw a lot of attention from passing motorist who call the fire
in to dispatch and most of the time they are a controlled burn where the farmer or rancher is burning the field for agricultural reasons, but sometimes they were set by a sailing cigarette or they may get away from the farmer/ rancher and he may need some help in extinguishing the blaze. Another call for help is automobile accidents. It is common practice for fire equipment to roll on the call of a wreck. A lot of
the time they simple provide traffic control, but sometimes they are needed for extraction of persons from a vehicle. The Firetrucks carry the hydraulic equipment commonly known as “The Jaws of Life” and besides that the Chambers County ESD No.1 has paid career Firefighters from large City’s on duty during the daytime and most of those guys are Paramedics as well as Firefighters. It’s never a bad thing
to have a couple of extra Paramedics around whenever several people are injured in a car wreck. Sometimes, the best intentions turn out to be bad decisions and the Fire Department has to be the bad guys and put out a perfectly good fire. Such was the case recently when an old abandoned home was torn down and was being burned in piles. There is absolutely nothing wrong with burning an old
house as long as you own it, but the problem comes in when there are environmental issues located inside the house like fiberglass bathtubs, insulation, and other not so environmentally friendly items. When this situation occurs, it usually involves a visit from the Fire Department as well as the Sheriff’s Office. Citations can and have been issued for burning the wrong things as well as starting a fire and then letting
it get away from you and infringing on other peoples property. When you start a fire and it burns somebody else’s property, that is considered arson. In summary, be careful with those fires, know what you are burning, and don’t forget to say “Thank You” to those guys that go to work everyday to help keep us all safe whenever you see them around town.
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Chambers County Sheriff’s Office Makes Drug Arrest By Wade Thibodeaux
Sheriff Brian Hawthorne reports that on April 5, after the 10:00 p.m. hour Chambers County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ethan Kahla conducted a traffic stop in the area of
Buccaneer Road and Orchid Lane in Winnie, Texas, on a vehicle for violation of the Chambers County Executive Order curfew (10 pm – 6 am). The driver was identified as 35 year old Robert Mency of Winnie. The deputy could smell an odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle and Mency appeared very agitated and
was confrontational with the deputy. K9 Deputy Harvey was deployed to conduct a free air sniff and gave a positive odor response on the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed a cloth bag containing a large amount of cash in assorted US currency and a Crown Royal bag found to contain 44 Carisoprodol pills
- 20.28 grams, 117 Hydrocodone pills 51.353 grams, 124 Alprazolam pills - 32.213 grams, 20 Oxycodone pills - 7.7 grams,
s s s u e o n r m i a F FOR Fa
!
Crack Cocaine 0.607 grams, and Marijuana - 1.045 ounces. Deputy Kahla, assisted by Deputy Evan Fuller, attempted to
place Mency under arrest, he turned and fled. After a foot chase, Mency was apprehended and placed under (Cont on page 4)
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Firefighters responded to and extinguished this flame because it contained not so environmentally friendly materials. Top right photo: This car was involved in a wreck last week and Firefighters responded.
Bottom right photo: This truck has seen better days as it and the car pictured had an unwanted meeting.
8 • Neighborhood Net • April 21, 2020
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Ok guys and gals.....this is getting serious. I have absolutely no idea about what to write about this week, really, I don’t. About the only thing that’s been happening is the Corona Virus thing and EVERYBODY is tired of hearing about that little trouble maker. So, I’m just going to start writing and let’s just see what comes out of these fingertips. Sometimes I venture off into a grocery store to watch people and their habits and other times lately I’ve gone inside a store to see if they have any supplies and just exactly what’s left on the shelf. Most of the time I end up buying something because I just don’t feel right walking in to a store and leaving empty handed. I was fairly well stocked up before this virus thing started and I never really had to
have something, so I would go in to do my scouting and if they had something that I needed I would buy it and if they didn’t have it then I would get it on the next trip. The people watching was the most entertaining. People would line up early in the mornings to wait on the stockers to put some toilet paper on the shelf so that they could get a four roll pack. The stores were and still are limiting customers to one pack and they are not getting any of the 36 roll jumbo packs. I guess the good news in all of this is that things are starting to catch up as I was able to buy a six roll of paper towels the other evening during one of my trips and I saw on Facebook last Saturday that the HEB in Huntsville made it through the day with toilet paper
still available on the shelf. That is a good sign that the supply is starting to catch up with the demand. Most of the meat counters, milk coolers, egg shelves, frozen dinners sections, and the pizza coolers are in decent shape as usually they have something available. The ground meat may not be the exact fat content that you were wanting, but they probably had something. And, if they were out of ground meat, just go get some chicken or pork. My point is that the grocery stores are starting to regain their composer and will be fully stocked before we realize it. The frenzy in the grocery store is starting to slow down as well. A few weeks ago when this first started, it was almost like taking your life into your own hands in the grocery store. Some people
were almost like in a rabid state as they raced around the store grabbing what they could before the next shopper could get to the shelf and grab the last item. Lately, it a lot calmer in the store as folks have become accustomed to the fact that maybe their particular item may not be on the shelf and they will have to substitute or leave without and come back another time. I read an interesting post on Facebook from a grocery store manager who was basically defending himself and his operation. His advise was good for not only his operation, but for all operations at this point in the game. His post was to be thankful for what is there and to be thankful for the employees that have endured the wrath of frantic and frankly rude customers who demand something that is just not able to happen. He and his employees expose themselves to countless customers who may or may not be carriers of this high-
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ly contagious virus in order to provide food and supplies for your family, thereby exposing their own families. They are not keeping a stock room full of supplies and not putting it out on the shelves just to annoy you, they are doing everything that they can to move as many supplies as possible. It’s not his fault that the warehouse is out of stock and he’s been running a store for many years and he pretty much knows how to place orders to re stock the store. If you need some toilet paper and the store doesn’t have any, don’t get mad at the store, get mad at your neighbor who purchased a years supply. Maybe, don’t get mad at your neighbor......maybe you could borrow a couple of rolls. Anyway, he goes on to say that they are doing everything possible and from my own observations, I think that they are starting to catch up and we will have toilet paper available again very soon. So, while you
are being thankful, thank the grocery store employees and also thank the first responders. Remember, they are the guys and gals that run towards danger. Every time that the pager goes off, those guys don’t know what they are going to run into , but they go and they continue to go. All of this stay home stuff may seem rough, but I guarantee you that there are others who have it worse. We are all in this together. I liken this Corona Virus thing to a four lane traffic jam......don’t be the guy that’s weaving in and out of lanes, putting us all in danger, just to get two car lengths ahead of everyone else. We will all get there together and the lanes will open up and we will be back up and running full speed ahead very soon. Till next time, I’m..........Wade in the Shade
April 21, 2020 • Neighborhood Net • 7
WOODS, WATERS, and WILDLIFE
day Mon cial! pe s t h nig Any g in topp one- only a z iz p 9 $7.9
By John Jefferson
Where’s The Fish?
Well, it’s not as large a let down as the end of summer vacation is to kids, or as dusk on the last day of whitetail season is to deer hunters, but to big bass aficionado’s, it is almost as depressing as if those two were combined. The competition in the Lunker Class of the Toyota ShareLunker Program ended March 31. This year was a weird one. Think back; was it cold in your neighborhood this winter? Did it bounce between pleasant and frigid several times? If you don’t remember our yoyo weather from January until last week, you may have lost memory due to Co-
rona-isolation. Let me review: Regular readers of this column might remember we cancelled a trip to the Dallas Safari Club’s convention in January due to cold, stormy weather. Then it got mild before freezing again, bringing snow to north and West Texas. The Toyota ShareLunker season had begun on January 1, and some years, there are several January entries. Not this year. The first entry came the second week in February when Blake Cockrell boated a 14.36-pound largemouth on Lake Alan Henry shortly after the little lake south of Lubbock had been blanketed with snow. That’s usually one of the coldest lakes in the state and has a late bass spawn. Go figure. The next lunker would have
6 • Neighborhood Net • April 21, 2020
come in March, but Leap Year saw it hooked on February 29. Joe Castle caught it on Lake Nacogdoches in East Texas, weighing 15.34 pounds. It became the new lake record and first ShareLunker there since 2008. Before that weekend was over, Blake Cockrell (yeah, same guy!) caught his second ShareLunker on March 1, again on Alan Henry! Unless the sheltering has affected MY memory, too, no one has ever caught two in the same season! We expected more coming after that. And we were wrong again. That was becoming a habit. The next ShareLunker came to boat on March 29, two days before the end of the competition. James Maupin and his father had gone
to Lake Amistad for their annual trip and caught fish. But returning to the ramp, they discovered the lake had been closed by COVID. So, they drove to O.H. Ivey, four hours away. Good move. On the last day of the trip, Maupin landed a 13.15-pound bass, the first one from Ivey since 2012. And the fourth and last one of the 2020 “Lunker
season”. It ended two days later. Many years have produced more 13-plus pounders, but Craig Bonds, TPWD Inland Fisheries Director, says Texas only averages 4.8/ year. He also says three were pure Florida largemouths and the other was a former ShareLunker’s offspring. Alan Christenson, Jr., dean of Lake Travis fishing guides, says
the fluctuating weather confused the bass. They didn’t know whether it was winter or spring. And the chilling weather obviously kept fishermen off the water. Duke Kinley, a seasoned bass angler agreed that weather influenced fish and human behavior. At least fewer bass were disturbed. Gotta go now -- the crappie are biting!
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Little Lake Alan Henry south of Lubbock became popular a few years ago for producing “Lunker” largemouth bass. It took a break for a few years but dominated this year by yielding two of the four 13-pounders entered in the Toyota ShareLunker competition. Although the Lunker Class competition ended March 31, anyone catching an eight-pound or heavier largemouth can still enter the competition for prizes. Photo by John Jefferson. For more information call Wade A. Thibodeaux 409.656.5677
April 21, 2020 • Neighborhood Net • 3
Dawn Evans • Owner/Stylist Jessica Davis - Stylist Regina Pauliska - Stylist Joan Yost - Stylist Jessi Evans - Stylist
Drop in or Call for an Appointment
Sunday observations
I’m not gonna lie. The current pandemic is enough to make you a little.... well..... not feel normal. It’s Easter Sunday, the crawfish boils are cancelled, the huge egg hunts are off, and it just sucks. Ok.... I said it. It just sucks. And it’s ok to admit it. That being said, let’s talk about helping it not be so bad. We as a community, are well schooled in disaster. We are tough. We know that we really can
exist in September, with no electricity for a month, limited supplies, and torn up homes. We are coastal strong. We know this. But this pandemic? Well..... this is different. We can’t go sit in 100 degree heat and commiserate with our friends and family over a beer. We can’t bond together, and help one another cut trees off roofs, rip out carpet, or whatever is needed. We are isolated. And Texans don’t
Tues thru Fri: 10 to 6 Sat: 10 to 1
do isolated well. So what can we do? Well..... for one we can focus on what we have, not what we don’t. We have a gift of more family time, a pause button of sorts has slowed us. We aren’t running from one activity to another, collapsing at the end of the day. But we are still frazzled. We are just as tired, but it’s a mental tired. And I’m not even discussing those of us in essential jobs. I may y’all about
that when this mess is over. We, as a country, are tired. We are frightened. We are apprehensive. We are skeptical. We are nervous. We are also irritated, grouchy, teary eyed, and believe it or not, we are also blessed. We just haven’t realized it yet. On this ever so different Easter Sunday, I ask that you take a minute to check on one another. To tell one person you normally don’t, that
Chambers County Drug Arrest Cont.
arrest. The US currency was seized as proceeds gained from drug trafficking. Mency is currently on parole and was charged with the following: Man/Del CS PG1 >=4G<200G – 1st Degree Felony Man/Del CS PG1 >=4G<200G – 1st Degree Felony Man/Del CS PG3/4 >=28G<200G – 2nd Degree Felony
Man/Del CS PG1 <1G – 3rd Degree Felony Man/Del CS PG3/4 <28G – State Jail Felony
4 • Neighborhood Net • April 21, 2020
Evading Arrest or Detention – Misdemeanor A Possession of Marijuana
lessthan2oz– Misdemeanor B V i o l a t i o n E m e r g e n c y Management Plan.
you love them. To verbally be, where you physically, can’t. To reach out to someone and see if they need something. Porch and driveway drop offs are perfectly acceptable during a stay at home order. To love one another. To thank the fella that brings out your curbside order. To genuinely spend a day this week, spreading love. Happy Easter peeps.... we will make it through this. We always do.
But, we will emerge changed. Please make sure your change, and all that you project, is for the betterment of society. I promise you, there is a lesson in what we are dealing with. I also promise you, it’s a lesson in patience, love, family, and hope. Know if you are reading this..... I love you. And I’m here for any one to talk to, any time.
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Things have been so that about the only thing a picture of this turtle slow in the news lately happening was catching as it crossed the road. Hopefully, things will get better next week.
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Selling 8.5 acres with single wide mobile home in Stowell for $150,000. Did not get flooded during Harvey or Imelda. Call Ana 956-2806361 Hampshire Rental: 2/1 available now. $650/mo. plus utilities. Call or text Mr. Paul 214-6423560
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Baby girl clothes,car seat and toys for sale, call Reenay 4092010399 Modern glass coffee table and 2 end tables also bakers rack for sale as well as some lamps an mirror. House for sale on Boondocks road. Small house on 1.5 acres. Recently remodeled, ready to move in. Call 409-659-1877
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Bulls and heifers for sale. Great quality! Brangus ,Charolais, Bradford, and Herefords. Low birth rate, all Polled. 713-8755703.
Beautiful male seal point Siamese kitten . Twelve weeks old, wormed, and litter box trained. Hankamer 281414-6353
5x8 Utility Trailer w/ Lift Gate $450.00 409-2961097 One house for rent 3 bed 1k 1 living 1 lau 2.5 bath Please call 832-298-8159
April 21, 2020 • Neighborhood Net • 5