Karnes Co. TX - NEWS - February 2009 This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Kimm Antell Copyright. All rights reserved. http://files.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************ From tdtnews.com March 1, 2009 Salado fulfills dream: Lady Eagles rally, lose lead, edge Weimar in overtime to reach 2A state tournament by Craig Meister | Sports Writer SEGUIN - Call them resilient. Call them determined. Call them the cardiac kids. And now you can call these Salado Lady Eagles state tournament-bound. Salado rallied from 13 points down, blew a four-point lead with less than 8 seconds to go in regulation, then overcame a four-point deficit with less than 2 minutes to go in overtime for a 56-52 victory over Weimar in a memorable Class 2A Region IV girls basketball final on Saturday. "I've been dreaming of this since I was little," said Salado sophomore Hadley Joiner, who scored 16 of her team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter and overtime and had the game-winning free throws with 17.2 seconds left. "I always went to the state tournament and watched them play and I always wanted to be there playing." Said sophomore Brennan Boydstun, who assisted Billi Pipes on the basket that tied it at 52 with 55 seconds left in OT: "It feels amazing. Awesome. We finally get to go to the (Frank) Erwin Center. It's been our dream forever and now we actually get to do it." Unranked Salado (27-9), making its first state appearance since it was the runner-up in 1999, plays No. 18-ranked Woodville (31-4) at 8:30 a.m. Friday at the University Interscholastic League State Tournament at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. No. 2 Bowie (38-2) and No. 8 Brock (30-8) battle in the second semifinal with the championship scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday. "That was two heavyweight fighters slugging it out," said first-year Salado coach Randy Henderson, whose team recorded its third straight come-from-behind win. "They had us down for the count. We came back and had them down for the count. They came back. It was a game of runs." Weimar (32-7) used a 16-3 run to build a 24-11 lead midway through the second quarter before Salado started chipping away. Joiner scored 12 straight points for the Lady Eagles, starting with a long 3-pointer to tie the game at 38 with 6:20 left in the fourth. Her two free throws tied the game at 40, then she banked in a 3 to give Salado a 43-42 lead with 4:04 remaining, its first lead since the 5-minute mark in the first. After Britney Luckey's putback gave the Lady Cats a 44-43 lead, Joiner added her own putback and eventually hit two free throws to put the Lady Eagles up 47-44 with 46 seconds to go. "I just started picking up my game and going hard," said Joiner, who made just one of her first seven shots in the first three quarters. "I knew I had to step it up and just go to the hole." Jenna Sebek (16 points) hit one free throw to give Salado a 48-44 lead with 14.8 seconds left, but the Lady Eagles failed to execute down the stretch. Weimar's Jocelyn Jarmon (game-high 23 points) hit a driving layup with 7.3 seconds left to trim the deficit to two. On the next play, Joiner was fouled, but the 84-percent foul shooter during the regular season missed both attempts. Jarmon eventually got the ball and hit another driving layup at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime to stun Salado. "Hadley was upset because she missed the free throws. A couple of our girls were upset with their defense at the end when Jarmon got that layup," Henderson said. "I told them, 'We have to keep playing. It's 0-0 again.'" Added Boydstun about bouncing back: "It was really hard. We had to be mentally tough. We all gathered together and said we need to keep hustling and play our game and see how it goes." Weimar's momentum carried into overtime as the Lady Eagles fell behind 52-48 before mounting their final charge. Sebek scored with 1:45 to go, then Salado forced a turnover and Boydstun fed Pipes for a layin to tie the game. On Weimar's next possession, Sebek came up with a steal with 35 seconds to go and Joiner was fouled with 17.2 seconds left, giving her an opportunity at redemption. "I was like, 'I'm going to make these. This is nothing,'" Joiner said. She did just that, hitting both free throws for a 54-52 lead before the Lady Cats set up for the potential game-tying or game-winning points. Jarmon lobbed the ball inside to Chelsea Soto (18 points), who missed two straight close shots. Lady Eagles senior Kaylan Hearne grabbed the rebound but was tied up with 2.9 seconds to go. Salado retained possession and Joiner eventually was fouled and added two free throws with 0.2 seconds left to secure the state tournament berth. "We didn't want it to be the end," said senior Danielle Hazzard, who captained Salado's volleyball team to the Region IV final. "We wanted to make it farther than volleyball and we wanted to win." Hazzard was an unsung hero. After scoring a combined nine points in playoff wins over Karnes City, Hempstead and Vanderbilt Industrial, she scored 15 points in the first three quarters to keep the Lady Eagles within striking distance. "I needed to step it up," said Hazzard, who averaged eight points during the regular season. "I haven't been scoring much in any games. Everybody was telling me that I needed to step up and I did." And her reward is a chance to finish her high school career with a state championship. ************************************************ From kdhnews.com March 3, 2009 Cove man gets 4 years in prison after only 5 months of freedom By Hayley Kappes BELTON - A Copperas Cove man was sentenced to serve four years in prison for crimes he committed less than five months after serving a state jail sentence. Judge Martha Trudo of the 264th District Court sentenced Travis Lee Leighton, 21, to four years in prison with 425 days credit for two convictions of possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful possession of metal or body armor by a felon, both of which occurred on Aug. 15, 2007. Leighton was previously convicted on Oct. 26, 2005, in the 81st State District Court in Karnes County for burglary of a building and sentenced to 18 months in state jail. Temple Police Department officers pulled Leighton over in the 4100 block of S. 31st Street in Temple for inoperable license plate lights on Aug. 15, 2007, according to the arrest affidavit. Officers ordered Leighton out of his vehicle after he behaved nervously, at which point Leighton ran away. He escaped officers. A search of Leighton's vehicle found a loaded Sig Sauer .357 semi- automatic handgun and two body armor plates behind the passenger seat. They also discovered that the vehicle's ignition had been tampered with and Leighton had used a screwdriver to turn off the vehicle. Trudo also sentenced: Freeman Lee Smalley Jr., 29, of Belton, to six months in state jail with 102 days credit for possession of methamphetamine, less than 1 gram, on Aug. 29. This sentence is being served concurrently with a five-year prison term Smalley is currently serving in Tennessee Colony, Texas, about 100 miles east of Waco. John Paul Doy, 41, of Killeen, to eight months in state jail for driving while intoxicated with a child passenger, on June 23. Visiting Judge Bill Bachus of the 27th District Court also sentenced Monday: Wesley Ray Tabors, 20, of Belton, to two years in state jail, probated for three years and a $500 fine for unauthorized use of a vehicle, on Jan. 20. Rick Nelson Taveras, 19, of Killeen, to 10 years deferred probation for robbery, on Aug. 2. Rickey Dale Peevy, 29, of Harker Heights and David Richard Peevy, 27, of Temple to two years in state jail each, probated for five years for burglary of a habitation, on Feb. 14, 2008. ************************************************ From palestineherald.com March 4, 2009 Antlered Issues Antler restriction proposal not so popular at recent public hearings The Palestine Herald By MATT?WILLIAMS Outdoors Writer It's crunch time. Texas hunters and anglers have until 5 p.m. on March 25 to issue comments on a series of proposed hunting and fishing regulation changes currently under consideration by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The department in coming weeks will host several public hearings around the state to gather public input that will be considered before the TPW Commission makes final any rule changes during its March 25-26 meeting in Austin. A hot topic among some hunters this year involves the proposed expansion of antler restrictions on whitetail deer to an additional 52 counties, many of them in East Texas. Antler restrictions limit hunters to two bucks per season. Under the rule, only one buck may have an inside spread of 13 inches or more. The second buck must be a spike or have at least one unbranched antler. The regulation is currently in place in 61 counties, but wildlife biologists believe it is needed elsewhere to help alleviate hunting pressure on young bucks and to better balance the age structure of the buck herd. Counties under consideration for antler restrictions include: Anderson, Angelina, Archer, Atascosa, Brazos, Brown, Chambers, Clay, Cooke, Denton, Ellis, Falls, Freestone, Grayson, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hunt, Jack, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Montague, Montgomery, Navarro, Newton, Orange, Palo Pinto, Parker, Polk, Robertson, San Jacinto, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Trinity, Tyler, Van Zandt, Walker, Wichita, Wise, and Young. TPWD data indicates more than 55 percent of the bucks taken by hunters in the aforementioned counties are 2 1/2 years old or younger. Biologists say more bucks will be able to reach 3 1/2 years of age before they are legal for harvest with the antler restriction in place. By-products of upgrading the age structure are better quality racks on bucks, more pronounced rutting activity and a deer herd that is healthier overall. As popular as the regulation has been with hunters in the past, TPWD biologists say they are hearing some opposition from hunters in select counties included under the current proposal. A group of hunters from Jasper County were especially vocal against the proposal during public hearings held recently in Jasper and Lufkin, according to Gary Calkins, TPWD District 6 wildlife biologist based in Jasper. Interestingly, Calkins said concept got way more support than opposition during public scoping meetings held last spring, before it became a formal proposal. "The majority of the people have not spoken in favor of the antler restriction at any of the public hearings we have had so far this year," Calkins said. "But based on our scoping meeting results from last February, the majority of the people are for it. I don't think those folks have changed their minds in a year's time. They just aren't speaking up, maybe because they think it is a done deal." "That is the anomaly of the public hearing process," Calkins added. "When you have a public hearing, it seems like the people who are in favor of a change never show up. Typically, all you get is the people who are against it. I have seen the same thing happen in the past with number of other issues." Another proposed change related to deer hunting in East Texas revolves around increasing the opportunities to harvest antlerless deer. The department is considering amendments to current antlerless regulations in the following counties based on survey data that indicates deer populations can sustain the additional harvest pressure: l Bowie and Rusk counties: Increase the number of doe days from four days to 16. * In Cherokee and Houston counties: Increase the number of doe days from four days to 30. l In Anderson, Henderson, Hunt, Leon, Rain, Smith and Van Zandt counties: Increase from no doe days to four. TPWD also is proposing increased deer hunting opportunity with muzzleloaders by: * Expanding the list of counties with a special muzzleloader season. lAdding five days to the existing muzzleloader season so it coincides with special antlerless and spike buck seasons in other counties. l Allowing for the harvest of any buck and antlerless deer without permits in counties that have doe days during the general season. Counties affected by the muzzleloader proposal include: Austin, Bastrop, Bowie, Brazoria, Caldwell, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Colorado, De Witt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Goliad (North of HWY 59), Goliad (South of HWY 59), Gonzales, Gregg, Guadalupe, Harrison, Houston, Jackson (North of HWY 59), Jackson (South of HWY 59), Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Marion, Matagorda, Morris, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Upshur, Victoria (North of HWY 59), Victoria (South of HWY 59), Waller, Washington, Wharton (North of HWY 59), Wharton (South of HWY 59), and Wilson. For a complete list of upcoming public hearing locations, see www.tpwd.state.tx.us. Public comments are being accepted on the department website or you can call 1-800-792-1112 or e-mail, robert.macdonald@tpwd.state.tx.us. ************************************************ From thecountywide.com March 4, 2009 Residents speak out against annex building By Leigh Ann Powers Several members of the public spoke in opposition to the new county annex building at the February 27 Commissioners Court meeting. Burt Utley based his opposition on his belief that this is the wrong time to build. "In today's time it's a really bad time to do it," Utley said. "It's the worst recession since the great depression." Utley stated his belief that area property values and mineral leases would be going down and that this was a time to lower taxes rather than raise them. Utley said that he will be circulating a petition against the new annex. Utley also suggested one place the county could save money is in the commissioners' salaries. "My question to the commissioners too is that with the unitized system with hopefully less hours on you, if we might look at possibly cutting your salaries too," he said. Though Utley said he believed the county would have to raise taxes to build the annex building, County Judge Alger H. Kendall, Jr. suggested that Utley would find that his taxes actually went down from 2007 to 2008. Kendall also said that he has been told the valuation of minerals and property in the county will go up this year and that the money for the building is already included in the budget. Precinct 4 Commissioner Isidro "Stormy" Rossett responded to Utley's suggestion that the commissioners lower their salaries. Rossett pointed out that Utley, as a rural resident with cattle on his property is eligible for an agricultural exemption and therefore pays less in taxes than a city resident with a comparable home. Rossett said that it was unfair that people living in the city have to pay the full taxes on their homes while rural residents with large spreads get agricultural exemptions on their land. "If you would get all these people out in the rural areas over the last 25 years that have all this money, we could build ten buildings for cash," Rossett said. "You know a lot of people complain about welfare, and I think there are two kinds of welfare: the rich man's welfare and the little man or poor man's welfare." Tommy Shockome also voiced his opposition to the annex building. "I don't agree with building the building the way they're talking about. I think this courthouse needs the money more," he said. Shockome also said that he was concerned about the road system. He suggested that Precinct 2 Commissioner Jeffrey Wiatrek should apply for the permanent road administrator position because he has hands on experience. "Everybody I've talked to seems to want you to change positions," Shockome said. Judge Kendall said that Wiatrek had at times been willing to take the road administrator position, but because the commissioners have been advised not to be involved with or interfere with the road administrator, Kendall has told Wiatrek not to apply for the position at this time. "That's one reason I know Jeff has been willing to stay away from doing hands on work. But I do appreciate your comment because I know Jeff does know how to work this equipment," said Kendall. Shockome also took Rossett to task for his comments about welfare and the commissioners' salaries. "I sure don't understand how you can sit up here and take the money that you're taking as county commissioners, meeting however many times a month you meet and you want to sit here and talk about it," Shockome said. "You talk about welfare and different ways of welfare and that shouldn't even have been addressed, but you did and you sit there and the county commissioners come up here how many times a month, and I don't think it's fair." Commissioner Rossett said the only way the commissioners' salaries would change is if new commissioners are elected. "I hope this issue about the salaries stops here because when I came into office, we knew what our salary was," Rossett said. "Just because the unit system comes in - I'll go a step further: let's all elected officials cut our salaries in half. Because I'll tell you what - we're sitting up here taking all the heat and there are people making more money than we are doing things other than their job, as a department head, as an elected official." "If you want our salaries to change, you're going to have to replace five people," he said. Maurice Yarter called further expenditures on the new annex "irresponsible." He charged that the contract on the building had been entered into without adequate time for public comment and that county officials need to hear the opinion of the voters on this issue. Yarter also said that the county has other priorities. "I believe a higher priority than the annex is that we need a jail in this county," Yarter said. Yarter said he believed if the jail were investigated by the state, the county jail would likely be closed. "We have an extremely high need for a jail in this county," Yarter said. Jason Jansky, Karnes County chairman for the Republican Party, also spoke against the annex. "There are some things about this that don't seem responsible," Jansky said. "What's not being done? Warrant roundups," he said. Jansky pointed out that the county is spending a significant amount of money housing prisoners in other jails. He also reminded the court of the prisoner escape from the county jail last year. "We need to have the ability to enforce our laws. The jail takes priority," he said. "Safety and security is priority number one." Precinct 3 Commissioner James Rosales said that he now opposes the annex. "I don't know anyone who wants this building," Rosales said. "I can't go anywhere without people disagreeing with this building." In other business, county officials approved a grant application by the juvenile probation office. If the county is awarded the grant it will help provide funding for the family preservation and after care programs. The court also voted to renew the contract with Atascosa County for juvenile detention services. County Sheriff David Jalufka gave his racial profiling report to the court in keeping with state requirements. He reported 739 total contacts for 2008, down slightly from 812 contacts in 2007. For 2008 the racial profiling report is as follows: 250 white males, 118 white females, 260 Hispanic males, 95 Hispanic females, 9 black males, 7 black females, 0 Asian males, and 1 Asian female. ************************************************ From thecherokeean.com March 4, 2009 The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo kicked off its own awards season in a big way Friday night when 70 Texas high school seniors walked away with a ticket to college. The Area Go Texan counties include Anderson, Angelina, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Calhoun, Cherokee, Colorado, DeWitt, Falls, Fayette, Freestone, Goliad, Gonzales, Gregg, Grimes, Hardin, Harrison, Henderson, Hill, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Live Oak, Madison, Matagorda, McLennan, Milam, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Panola, Polk, Refugio, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Wharton and Williamson counties. This year, the 70, four-year, $15,000 scholarships include an additional 10 awards to be given at large to students within the 60 counties represented in the Area Go Texan Scholarship Program. Area Go Texan scholarships are part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's annual commitment to Texas students of more than $10.9 million in scholarships and educational programs. Since the Show's beginning in 1932, more than $235 million has been committed to the youth of Texas. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a 501(c)(3) charity that benefits youth, supports education, and facilitates better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentation. The 2009 Show runs March 3 - 22. For a schedule of events or more information, visit www.rodeohouston.com. Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ 2009 Area Go Texan Scholarship Recipients By County Anderson - Haley Elizabeth Banks, Westwood High School Angelina - Wesley Thomas Weaver, Lufkin High School Austin - Hillary Motal, Sealy High School Bastrop - Madison Kay Vinklarek, Bastrop High School Bastrop - Dustin Wayne Leiferman, Smithville High School Bee - Audrey Kathrine Jones., A.C. Jones High School Bee - Alexis Paige Schmidt, Skidmore-Tynan High School Bell - KaRonna Lynn Bass, Troy High School Bosque - Danielle Yvonne Rigsby, Meridian High School Brazos - Elizabeth Whitney Mack, Bryan High School Brazos - William Lloyd Rooney, A&M Consolidated High School Burleson - Tyler Dean Brinkman, Somerville High School Calhoun - Philip Wiseman, Calhoun High School Cherokee - Lana Kaye McKinney, Jacksonville High School Colorado - Cameron Ian Miculka, Weimar High School DeWitt - LaRae Lynn Wieland, Yorktown High School Falls - Tyler Scott Kleypas, Rosebud-Lott High School Falls - Benjamin Thornton, Rosebud-Lott High School Fayette - Caitlyn Elizabeth Kubenka, Schulenburg High School Fayette - Emily Elizabeth Van Duyn, La Grange High School Freestone - Summer Dianne Burns-Moore, Teague High School Goliad - Brent Cole Gohmert, Goliad High School Gonzales - Kaile Fae Rawls, Nixon-Smiley High School Gregg - Danae Allyson Cunningham, White Oak High School Gregg - Ashley Nicole Middlebrooks, Sabine High School Grimes - Ashley Brooke Kurten, Anderson-Shiro High School Hardin - Kevin Michael Darling, Buna High School Hardin - Earl N. Oster, Silsbee High School Harrison - Nicole Mei-Li Roberts, Waskom High School Henderson - Peyton Scott Williams, Brownsboro High School Hill - Michael Lee Ball, Abbott High School Houston - Lacy Lynn Lovell, Kennard High School Jackson - Joey Arriaga, Ganado High School Jackson - Jose Javier Martinez, Ganado High School Jasper - Morgan Louise Marx, Jasper High School Jefferson - Justin Joseph Cegielski, Port Neches-Groves High School Karnes - Amy Leigh Janssen, Runge High School Lavaca - Kelsey Marie Poskey, Yoakum High School Lee - Miranda Rose McArthur, Lexington High School Leon - Jamie Lynn Long, Centerville High School Limestone - Jordan Casey Hamilton, Groesbeck High School Live Oak - Hitesh Patel, George West High School Madison - Megan Lynn Agudelo, Madisonville High School Matagorda - Lori Renee Bumguardner, Palacios High School Matagorda - Nolan Ney Oldham, Palacios High School McLennan - Hannah Elizabeth Hutyra, West High School Milam - Thomas John Merka IV, Rockdale High School Milam - Steven Preston Stolte II, Thorndale High School Nacogdoches - Anna Teresa Laurent, Cushing High School Navarro - Kirby Shaw Jackson, Kerens High School Navarro - Lauren De'Anna Woldt, Kerens High School Newton - Matthew Taylor Metz, Newton High School Nueces - Kelsey Leigh Morris, W.B. Ray High School Orange - Tyler Christopher Angelle, Orangefield High School Panola - Jacob Michael Lauxman, Carthage High School Polk - Isaias Osiel Machuca, Goodrich High School Polk - Shelby Ryan Vance, Corrigan-Camden High School Refugio - William Jacob Cobb, Refugio High School Robertson - Lindsey Ann Falco, Bremond High School Rusk - Tanner Allen Antonick, West Rusk High School Sabine - Ilyssa Morgan Irving, Hemphill High School San Augustine - Holli LeAnn Harris, San Augustine High School San Jacinto - Amy Elizabeth Johnston, Shepherd High School San Patricio - Sarah Marie Polasek, Gregory-Portland High School Shelby - Amanda Nadean Ashton, Center High School Trinity - Shelby Jordan Thompson, Groveton High School Tyler - Hannah Jean Golden, Spurger High School Victoria - Nathan Dale Zuck, Industrial High School Walker - Ashley Lorraine Bell, New Waverly High School Washington - Kayla Denise Kirts, Brenham High School Wharton - Samantha Kristine Zapalac, East Bernard High School Williamson - Kimberly Rae Jones, Granger High School ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************ From March , 2009 ************************************************