© 2003, Guidry News
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© 2003, Guidry News
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Story Links: Coastal Coordination Council Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston Independent School District Texas City Independent School District Galveston College Board of Regents Friendswood Chamber of Commerce West Galveston Island Property Owners Association
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Governor Rick Perry named Jamaica Beach Mayor Vic Pierson to the Coastal Coordination Council, filling the position vacated by former Galveston city council member Bill Clayton. "I am pleased that Governor Perry had the confidence to make the appointment," Pierson said. "I am really looking forward to working with a man I respect, a man of integrity, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson." Patterson is chair of the CCC. As local government representative, Pierson will represent city councils and commissioners courts all along the Texas Gulf Coast. Galveston County officials were pleased with the appointment. "This is a great day for Galveston to have someone like Vic Pierson become a member of this very important group in Austin that really shapes the destiny of our beaches and bays," said Jerry Mohn, president of the West Galveston Island Property Owners Association. Galveston
County Judge Jim Yarbrough will administer the oath of
office to Pierson at tonight's meeting of Jamaica Beach City
Council. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday overturned a ruling by Galveston Federal District Court Judge Sam Kent in the lawsuit between the Galveston Park Board of Trustees and the law firm of McLeod, Alexander, Powell and Apffel, remanding the case back to Kent's court "with instructions to dismiss the case." The law suit claimed that MAPA attorney Dan Vaughn was guilty of malpractice because he represented Betta Beach in the same case and did not properly inform the park board. The appeals court ruled that Kent did not have jurisdiction in the case. The
ruling was critical of the law firm. "We affirm the
district court's award of sanctions against MAPA for filing frivolous
post-trial motions. Each party shall bear its own
costs." Beaumont City Manager Kyle Hayes announced the layoff of 31 city employees on Friday. Thirteen were public works employees, eight worked in central services, three in public health, five in community service, including library and recreation, one was in the human resources department and one was a civilian, part-time employee in the fire department. "It is extremely tough on the administration to lay off employees," Hayes said. "It was the last resort." Hayes blamed sales tax receipts that are $470,000 below budget. The employees will receive pay and benefits for four weeks. Hayes
said he will seek ways to cut expenses with minimal impact
to public services. Galveston Cruise Ship Parking Controversy Galveston northside developer Bill Hughes was arrested for disorderly conduct on Sunday morning, but he later apologized to the police officer, complimenting his professionalism. Hughes, who operates a parking lot for cruise ship passengers, and leases property to the Port of Galveston for another lot, said he was perturbed that a rival lot owned by James J. Flanagan of Beaumont was causing traffic to back up. Hughes said the use of a gate near Harborside was causing the backup. He said no cars were getting to his lot, so he began trying to flag cars into the port's lot. That's when he got into a verbal confrontation that led to the arrest. Hughes said the dispute with the operator of the other lot became personal, which led to his behavior. "I just exploded," Hughes said. "I had to go to jail and I had to apologize to the policeman, who did nothing wrong at all except listen to my bad temper." Hughes
stresses that he did not have the port's permission to flag
cars into the lot, but felt that it was the right thing to
do. Galveston Independent School District The Galveston Independent School District Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting on Wednesday to consider the purchase of property for the new Bolivar School and to consider selection of the "sole finalist" for the position of superintendent. The trustees will discuss a parcel of property on the Bolivar Peninsula under consideration for the new K-8 school in executive session. The trustees also will discuss the proposed finalist, said to be a woman. Both
items are posted for action following the executive session. Texas City Independent School District The Texas City Independent School District has scheduled a public hearing on Tuesday, January 21, 2003, to review the district's Academic Excellence Indicator System report for the 2001-2002 school year. The hearing will be part of the regularly scheduled board meeting which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Administration Building Board Room, 1401 Ninth Avenue North. The AEIS reports are produced by the Texas Education Agency and offer a snapshot of a district's performance, demographics and finances. Data on student assessment results, student and staff demographics and tax and budget information is also presented for each campus. State law requires school districts to publish the report and hold a public hearing on the report's contents each year. After
Tuesday's hearing, the AEIS report for TCISD will be
available in the libraries of the district's seven campuses
and at the Moore Memorial Library in Texas City, and also at
www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/index/html. Galveston College Board of Regents The Board of Regents of the Galveston Community College District last week approved the combination of a $9 per credit hour tuition rate and a $5 per credit hour technology fee. The tuition will become $14 per credit hour with a $70 minimum. In other action, the board approved the administrative appointments of Dr. Thomas Alan Rasco as vice president for academic affairs, and Judy Dobbins as director of human resources. President
Dr. Elva Concha LeBlanc announced that preliminary
enrollment figures indicated a record headcount of 2,532
students as of January 16, 2003, with 466,825 contact hours. The
Verizon Foundation has donated $42,500 to College of the The Verizon Foundation supports a variety of programs that focus on improving basic and computer literacy, bridging the digital divide, enriching communities through technology and creating a skilled work force. Verizon External Communications Manager, Sharon Wells recently presented the check to College of the Mainland President Dr. Homer M. "Butch" Hayes and COM's Associate Vice President of Adult Education, Dr. Katherine Moser. The college plans to use the funds to purchase computers for an Adult Basic Education Literacy Lab for classes in northern Galveston County, including League City. The Galveston County Economic Development Assistance Program, under the leadership of Ted Olkowski, helped the college secure the Verizon Foundation grant. The Verizon Foundation promotes partnerships in technology with organizations, such as COM, serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, and the economically and socially disadvantaged. Visit
<www.verizon.com/foundation>
for more information on the foundation. For
information about literacy, GED, ESL or Adult Education
classes in League City, Kemah, Webster, Dickinson and other
areas, call College of the Mainland at (409) 938-1211 or
(888) 258-8859, extension 294. The San Jacinto College District is boasting a 3 percent increase in enrollment for this 2003 spring semester, continuing an enrollment upshot that began in 1997. The increase encompasses all campuses and is compared to the 2002 spring semester. Figures released by the college show that 21,587 students are enrolled in the three-campus San Jacinto College District after late registration this week. "This
ongoing upward enrollment trend throughout our district is
certainly encouraging,” said Dr. Bill Lindemann, interim
chancellor. “It demonstrates a level of determination for
our citizens to obtain an education and be more successful
in life. And that’s always a good thing.” The increase reflects a 7.3 percent jump in enrollment at the South Campus, from 6,417 to 6,886 students. Community College Week recently named the South Campus as one of the country’s top-50 fastest growing community college campuses. The South Campus is located at 13735 Beamer Road in the South Belt area. The Central Campus in Pasadena rose 1.1 percent to 10,401 students, up from 10,209. The North Campus in North Shore climbed to 4,940 students, from 4,880 during the same comparable time in 2002. That was a 1.2 percent increase. The
three-campus San Jacinto College District finished the 2002
fall semester with almost 24,000 students. Historically,
fall semester enrollments are larger than spring semester. University of Houston Clear Lake President Dr. William Staples assumed the chair of the Clear Lake Area Economic Development Foundation at the organization's annual meeting Friday night. "As we look to 2003, there are many activities and initiatives that CLAEDF will pursue," Staples said. "The primary focus of CLAEDF will be the same, to continue economic development priorities focused on business expansion, retention, recruitment, and creation." Gale Burkett, the outgoing chair, presented a surprise Chairman's Award to George Abbey, former director of Johnson Space Center. The main honor of the evening was the Quasar Award, presented for the second time to Congressman Tom DeLay, who was recently elected House Majority Leader. "CLAEDF does a tremendous job of leading the charge in Washington to educate members of Congress on the incredible value of NASA," DeLay said in accepting the award. Prior to the speech, DeLay met with several representatives of large aerospace companies and small business leaders in the Clear Lake area to identify opportunities within the small business community for the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter project. He
also met with reporters at a news conference at the South
Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center. Friendswood Chamber of Commerce Texas State Representative Larry Taylor was honored with the Friendswood Chamber of Commerce's "Citizen of the Year" award at the annual banquet Friday night. The Chairman’s Award was presented to Judith Edwards of Top Dog Tees. The
Business
of the Year
Award was presented to Michael
Wegner
of
Lifestyle Financial Advisors, Inc. The Business Man of the Year Award was presented to Allan Rasmussan Jr. of HomeTown Bank of Friendswood. The Rookie of the Year Award was presented to Wendy Cepak of A.G. Edwards and Son. The Volunteer or the Year Award was presented to Carmen Walters. Distinguished
Service Awards were
presented to
Jim Gerland, Keller Williams Realty; Sheila Phillips,
HomeTown Bank of Friendswood; Beverly Baldwin, Apropos
Distinctive Interiors; Kelly Decker, Altered Images. West Galveston Island Property Owners Assn. Galveston Public Works Director Brandon Wade presented details of a proposed $46.3 million bond issue for a massive sewer project to the West Galveston Island Property Owners Association on Saturday. Wade said improvements are planned for the entire island, including the west end, thanks to Council Member Dianna Puccetti. “Two
months ago when I was invited for today, I didn’t have
very good news for you,” said Wade, but today I actually
do have very good news.” Wade said
the improvements will provide sewer service to west end
neighborhoods, as well as bringing the rest of the island
into compliance with Environmental Protection Agency
regulations. This week's column by Victor Lang features his memories of a snow storm in Washington D.C., and includes an interview with Lynda Guidry. Click Here for "Victor Lang Remembers." Scheduled
Meetings Today,
January 20 Tuesday,
January 21
Wednesday, January 22
Thursday, January 23 Friday,
January 24
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Story Links, on the left side of this page, is composed of "bookmarks" to the stories in the newsletter. Click on the link to go directly to the article. Print individual articles by first clicking on the "Print Version" link, then using your regular print program. On The Online News Station, if you click on an audio cut and the photos stop loading, click on Refresh or Reload and they will resume. Gulf Coast E-news, published by Guidry News Service, provides comprehensive coverage of posted public meetings in Galveston, Harris and Jefferson Counties.
This electronic newsletter replaces, and expands on, the mission
of Galveston Fax, established by Jim and Lynda Guidry on
Galveston Island in Galveston County reporters, covering the city council meetings of all 13 municipal governments plus several school boards and special utility districts, include Jinelle Boyd, Drew Gilbert, Shannon Hall, Kristina Weaver, Tom Foster, Jo Ann Gowing and Dedra Kratts. Weaver, Foster, Gowing and Kratts also cover the Harris County entities surrounding Clear Lake. Scott Nowell covers Harris County Commissioners Court, Houston City Council, and meetings of organizations in downtown Houston. Carl Guidry, representing Guidry News Service in Jefferson County, covers Jefferson County Commissioners Court, Beaumont City Council and Port Arthur City Council. We are seeking additional reporters to expand our coverage in Jefferson County. Gulf Coast E-news also will continue coverage of regional organizations in the Gulf Coast area. Gulf Coast E-news is interactive with The Guidry News Service Online News Station, providing coverage of special events and public meetings with photos and audio. Johnna Johnston and Terry Arnold are marketing representatives for The Online News Station. Marketing representatives are being recruited in Harris and Jefferson counties. Subscriptions to Gulf Coast E-news are $300 per year, or $75 per quarter, plus sales and use tax. A fax-only version of the newsletter is available for $350 per year or $87.50 per quarter, plus tax. Current subscribers to Galveston Fax or Clear Lake Area E-news will automatically receive Gulf Coast E-news.
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