Warrior sports
ITM the Academic District Champion
No-name cave on bucket list
Sports, Page 10
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Explore Texas, Page 9
Current
WEST KERR Thursday March 30, 2023 VOL. XX NO. 34
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Council hears Volunteer works world disasters Michael Stanard about origin of travels the globe wastewater fees bringing relief Action tabled on request to lower connection fees By Clint Schroeder West Kerr Current
Ingram City Council last Tuesday, March 21, tabled action on reducing the wastewater hook up fees for businesses after the reasoning behind the fees was presented by a former mayor. Ingram business owner John Sheffield at the Feb. 28 council meeting requested that council lower the $1,200 tap fee and $3,800 system access fee the city requires for businesses to hook on to the city’s wastewater system; a $500 total fee was suggested. When the agenda item “Lowering of the Tap Fee and Capital Recovery Fee,” came up last Tuesday, City Secretary Ruby Nix said, “I’ve searched through the contracts with the USDA and nowhere in there does it say
Another Ingram police chief gone By Clint Schroeder West Kerr Current
Ingram City Council, in a special meeting Monday morning, terminated the employment of Police Chief Glenn Juenke. Ingram City Hall issued the following statement: “By action of the City Council of the City of Ingram, Glenn Juenke is no longer employed by the City of Ingram as of March 27, 2023.” Juenke was hired as the city’s chief of police on See Chief, Page 8
that those fees are regulated by USDA nor does it say that those fees are used to pay our loans with the USDA. See Council, Page 8
I’ve never experienced the kind of cold that I felt when I was in Ukraine ... — Michael Stanard By Irene Van Winkle West Kerr Current
While teams of volunteers from Samaritan’s Purse are now on scene in Mississippi helping to clean up after the recent tornados, there are others all around the world lending their hands in Turkey and Ukraine. Among them is Michael Stanard of Kerrville, who has been to Turkey once and to Ukraine twice, among other countries. His wife, Carol, keeps a bag packed at all times as well. “Samaritan’s Purse is on the front lines at a disaster,” Michael said, “in wars, hurricanes, tornadoes ... They’ve been helping in more than 70 countries.” Michael and Carol Stanard say they feel that their work with the Christian charity, Samaritan’s Purse, is part of a
Photo by Irene Van Winkle
Carol and Michael Stanard of Kerrville have a heart for doing good. Their volunteer efforts have spanned 30 years, including giving time to Samaritan’s Purse, a charity that helps disaster victims around the world. network that not only saves lives, but also souls. Michael, who has done mission work more than 30 years, has been with
Ingram ISD board rejects voucher bills Vanessa Carpenter named to board By Clint Schroeder West Kerr Current
Ingram school board members Monday appointed Vanessa Carpenter to the board and unanimously passed a resolution rejecting any diversion of public school dollars to private entities. Carpenter will serve as a temporary board member until the May 6 election, in which she is a candidate. The seat was vacated by the recent resignation of board member Byron Griffin. Ingram Superintendent Dr. Robert Templeton introduced the resolution against school vouchers that was provided by the Texas Association of
School Boards. “The resolution, while not binding, would speak out against using taxpayer dollars for private schools,” Templeton said. Bills in the Texas Legislature would have Vanessa the ability to Carpenter reduce public education funding through vouchers, education savings accounts, taxpayers savings grants, and other mechanisms. Through one proposed program, the state would deposit up to $8,000 per student into accounts to be used on private school tuition, tutors, uniforms and other approved
Samaritan’s Purse for four years. It was founded by Bob Pierce, and after he passed, Franklin Graham took over in 1979.
Carol has been with the group nearly as long as Michael. “I’ve been to Haiti seven times, Ukraine twice, as well as Turkey once, Sri Lanka, Belize and Central America,” Michael said. He started charity work as a boy growing up in Elgin, Texas, helping his grandparents in the Red Cross and other organizations. After taking a trip to California and passed by the Hill Country, he was drawn to the area. After graduating from Howard Payne University, he said, “I loaded my truck, sold what I couldn’t take with me and rolled into town. I never looked back.” He and wife Carol, a former teacher at Tally Elementary, are now retired and frequent volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse. He said that after a friend of his died, he wanted to do something in his memory, and decided to do a shoebox. It was for a Christmas Child drive. “That’s where they put in a whole bunch of things for kids in a shoebox,” he said. Michael said he had never See Samaritan, Page 12
Hunt ISD considers District of Innovation plan By Kari Short West Kerr Current
The Hunt Independent School District Trustees unanimously adopted a resolution at the March 21 monthly meeting to investigate becoming a District of Innovation. According to the Texas Association of School Boards’ website, “A DOI gives traditional independent school districts most of the flexibility available to Texas’ West Kerr Current photo open-enrollment charter Ingram school board members heard an update on schools benefiting them by the progress of school bond construction projects. achieving more local control, Above is the new softball field currently being built. customization, autonomy and flexibility including exempeducational expenses. Nichols said. “The Legislature tions from mandates such as Ingram Board Member is doing everything it can, in school start date, class size Adam Nichols strongly my opinion, to lower the perratios, site-based decisionopposed the proposed legisla- ception of public schools ... to making processes, certain stution. dent discipline provisions and See Ingram ISD, Page 12 “I very much oppose this,”
teacher appraisal requirements.” HISD Superintendent Luci Harmon said, “There are a little over 1,000 school districts in Texas; 929 of them have DOIs.” She explained two of the most appealing benefits: the ability to authorize teachers to teach outside their certification and flexibility to reduce teacher contract days without decreasing salaries. In the first scenario, some teachers are qualified to teach certain subjects even if they don’t officially have a certification, such as in Spanish language instruction. In the latter situation, some school years are compressed into 168 days, but teacher See Hunt ISD, Page 5
City, county to cooperate on library, Workshop examines elections system manufacturers (Hart bringing the topic to the pubanimal services without formal pact By Irene Van Winkle By Irene Van Winkle West Kerr Current
Speakers were abundant at Monday’s meeting of Kerr County Commissioners Court on topics ranging from a recent workshop on election machines, a safety study on the roadway in the Twin Creeks development, and the dissolution of an interlocal
agreement with the City of Kerrville on animal services and the library. Referring back to a workshop about election services held last Monday (please see related story), the court heard a group of speakers before the meeting began. Kitty Oker of Kerrville was appreciative, noting that machines made by Hart in
Austin get their components from overseas, and any system can be hacked. The old barcodes were replaced by QR codes and the machines cost money to be maintained. She urged the county to return to paper ballots. Nickie Canes agreed, adding that when she worked See County, Page 6
West Kerr Current
The Kerr County Commissioners Court held a workshop on Monday, March 20, regarding election procedures and security, organized with the help of Bob Reeves, Kerr County Tax AssessorCollector and election administrator. Additionally, the court received input from voting
Intercivic) and election security expert Mark Cook. The workshop is readily accessible on the YouTube link of the Kerr County Commissioners Court, for the public to hear all the details the speakers provided, that are complex and hard to simply summarize here. Pct. 3 Commissioner Jonathan Letz thanked Pct. 2 Commissioner Rich Paces for
lic, something that has been on people’s minds around the country. “I care that Kerr County elections are safe and secure,” adding that they are going to focus simply on what is relevant in Kerr County, “and I have a lot of questions on how the process works,” Paces said. See Elections, Page 11