2005 Archives

2004 Archives

2003 Archives

Monday               May 9, 2005

Fifty Club of Galveston County

The Fifty Club of Galveston County presented 2004 Officer of the Year Awards to law enforcement officers today at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center.

Galveston Police Chief Kenny Mack presented his department's Officer of the Year Award to James (Jason) Chide.

"Officer Chide is a 21 year veteran of the Galveston Police Department," said Fifty Club President Johnny Maisel.  "Currently assigned as an investigator with the Burglary and Theft Unit of the Criminal Investigation Division, Officer Chide has exemplified what this unit is all about."

Maisel cited Chide for being directly responsible for more than 40 arrests of burglars and the recovery of more than $30,000 worth of property and contraband. 

The Galveston County Sheriff's Office named William B. Sanders as Deputy of The Year.

"Over the last two years, working within the Corrections Division, Bill has been involved in identifying inmates who are defined as security threat groups or criminal street gangs," Maisel said.  "Through expertise he has developed with identifying gangs, Bill works closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Security Threat Group/Extortion Investigations and scores of local law enforcement agencies. His skill lies in the art of deciphering tattoos, graffiti, cryptic writings and breaking codes."

Other Officer of the Year Awards were presented to Officer Jim Johnson of the Dickinson Police Department, Corporal Gary Stief of the Texas City Police Department, Officer William Martinez, Jr. of the Hitchcock Police Department, Captain Kenneth Campbell of the Santa Fe Police Department, Officer Glen Reddin of the Jamaica Beach Police Department, Officer Michael Kelemen of the La Marque Police Department, Captain Kenneth G. Cranston of the Clear Lake Shores Police Department, Detective Roger Williamson of the Kemah Police Department, Officer Michael Scambray of the Friendswood Police Department, Officer Gabe Gonzales of the League City Police Department and Sergeant Ernest D. Perkins of the Port of Galveston Police Department.

"All of the dedicated officers" of the Tiki Island Police Department and the Bayou Vista Police Department were honored as Officers of the Year, and the constables of Galveston County named Lamar Washington of Precinct 5 as Deputy of the Year.

"To our peace officers, whose dedicated careers protect us from ourselves and others, and to whom we owe so much for our safety, our sincerest thanks," said Steve Smith, the master of ceremonies.

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Galveston City Council/Wharves Board

Galveston City Council and the Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves each held special meetings this morning to vote to retain the law firm of Abrams, Scott & Bickley to represent the city in a lawsuit filed by Nancy St. Paul regarding the proposed BP liquefied natural gas plant on Pelican Island.

"I needed to hire an outside attorney to represent the city," City Attorney Susie Green said. "My recommendation was to retain Barry Abrams."

Green said that Abrams continues to represent the city in other litigation.  Green was given authority to retain Abrams' services for up to $25,000.  She added that she will be working with Abrams but that he will be the lead attorney representing the city.

"I needed Barry brought on board pretty quick," Green said.  "There is a hearing this afternoon asking for a continuance of a temporary injunction hearing set for Tuesday." 

Green said if the continuance, requested by the wharves board, is granted by the judge, the temporary injunction hearing would be postponed. 

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Galveston County Commissioners Court

Galveston County Commissioners Court this morning continued to resolve issues related to refunds of penalty and interest for the delinquent payments of ad valorem taxes.  

Tax Assessor Collector Cheryl Johnson had recommended that penalty and interest be be refunded to Dennis Gayle for late payment of taxes on property at 905 Pine Street in Dickinson because the late payment was caused by a clerical error in her office.

Commissioner Stephen Holmes noted that other similar requests had been denied, thus he asked that the item be deferred for discussion at a future meeting.

The commissioners court also deferred action on a request by a request for a refund of penalty and interest by attorney Jim White on behalf of Ed and Barbara Tusa for delinquent payment on property in Jamaica Beach, but voted to deny a request by Robert Wilusz.  Johnson said that there was no error on the part of the tax office or the Galveston Central Appraisal District in Wilusz's case.

The commissioners court voted to select SBC to provide the county with a Cisco AVVid Voice Over Internet Protocol solution for all facilities other than the new Emergency Management Center, which already is being implemented, and the new Justice Center.

"In addition to providing the requested solution at the best value, SBC is offering a financing option that includes a 'lease holiday' for the remainder of FY2005, as well as an extension of our current Cisco equipment lease with buyout option," said Robert Canterbury, director of Information Technology.

The commissioners court approved a resolution addressing the need for priority ferry boarding for residents of the Bolivar Peninsula.

The commissioners court approved a resolution designating May as Older Americans Month.  Listen Download

Commissioner Eddie Janek, a veteran of World War II, acknowledged that today is VE Day, commemorating the victory in Europe 60 years ago.

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Jefferson County Commissioners Court

Jefferson County Commissioners Court today voted to grant a tax abatement to Port Arthur Steam Energy Reinvestment Zone to facilitate a $23 million facility to provide steam to the Premcor project on the old Gulf Oil refinery property. 

Port Arthur Mayor Oscar Ortiz spoke in favor of the abatement.   Listen Download

"They are going to hire 15 to 20 full-time jobs," Ortiz said.  "It's going to be good for our area." 

The commissioners court voted 4-1, with Everette Alfred opposed, to conduct a salary survey of classified positions.  Alfred preferred to do the work in-house. 

The commissioners court voted to approve a $6,345 change order in the contract with N&T Construction for work on Annex I.

"This will increase the amount of the contract from $157,000 to $163,345 and will extend the completion date for seven days," said the agenda item.  The change order will provide for relocation of two doors, adding an electric clock on another door, make improvements to a restroom and remodel the reception area.

The commissioners court proclaimed this week as Tour Jefferson County Week, and called upon the residents of the county "to observe the impact of tourism industry in Jefferson County, Texas".  Dean Conwell of the Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau and Tammy Kotzur of the Port Arthur CVB were there to receive the proclamation.   Listen Download

The commissioners court voted to approve establishment of a 53 hour work week for firefighters at the Southeast Texas Regional Airport, with an increase in the firefighters' base pay to reflect the increase in hours.  

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City of Jamaica Beach

The City of Jamaica Beach will celebrate its 30th birthday on Thursday.  It was incorporated as a General Law City in 1975.

The city was developed by a Houston businessman who purchased the land in 1957.  By 1966, 1,100 lots containing more than 300 homes had been sold by the Jamaica Corporation.

The Jamaica Beach City Hall sits on land donated by citizens.  It also houses the Jamaica Beach Police Department.  The Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department and the Galveston Emergency Medical Service personnel are also located at the City Hall complex.

In 1990, the Susie Schuler Park was erected on citizen-donated land.  The park contains a playground and a pavilion that is available to residents for parties, family reunions and weddings.  Popular fundraising events for the park board and the fire department are scheduled at the park on summer holiday weekends. 

There are 1,200 homes in Jamaica Beach.  The 2000 United States Census reported 1,075 residents. 

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Texas Medical Center

Houston Mayor Bill White today accepted donations of $2.5 million each from Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital System to support storm water drainage improvements in the Texas Medical Center area.  These funds will help pay the city's 25 percent share of a $72 million project to significantly expand storm sewer capacity in the MacGregor, Hermann and Kirby Drive areas by February 2008.

"Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital were the first to step up with commitments following Tropical Storm Allison," White said.  "They've followed through with building improvements, new planning and, now that the actual storm sewer construction has begun, with their promised financial assistance.  The same Texas Medical Center institutions
that safeguard the lives and health of Houstonians every day are now making a major contribution to our future protection from destructive flooding."

Peter G. Traber, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Baylor College of Medicine, and Ron G. Girotto, CEO and president of The Methodist Hospital System, presented checks to White from their institutions.

Work is under way on three Medical Center-area projects as part of the city's Storm Water Management Program, according to City Director of Public Works and Engineering Michael Marcotte. 

"Our aim is to accomplish a major engineering and flood prevention task with a minimum of inconvenience and dislocation, and with a net result that streets will be able to remain functioning in the worst of weather conditions," Marcotte said. 

For additional information about the project and for construction updates, visit http://www.swmp.org.

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House Majority Leader Tom Delay

House Majority Leader Tom Delay visited Ellington Field today for a briefing by the military command and the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership's Ellington Field Task Force to advocate Ellington Field's importance to homeland security.  

Ellington Field may be placed on the military's Base Realignment and Closure list, which could lead to the airport's closure or the reassignment of its assets to another location.

"(DeLay) gave a speech outlining his full support of keeping Ellington off the BRAC list," said Tina Laningham, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership's director of communications.

Laningham said that DeLay has been instrumental in advocating that Ellington Field remain open.

For additional information, visit www.bayareahouston.com.

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Galveston Historic Foundation

Two homes in Galveston's East End Historic District were damaged during last night's storm.  Galveston Historic Foundation Executive Director, Marsh Davis, said that both of the homes that were damaged are important houses.  Photos

"Not only were they nice, well-detailed Victorian houses, but they also are at a key point of holding the line up against the commercial side of town," Davis said.  "We don't want to lose the edges of the district."

Davis added that GHF met with the owners of the homes as soon as they heard of the damage and offered to hire structural engineers to look at the property to assess the feasibility of salvaging the homes.

"What we don't want to do is for people to say 'Gosh, these look like they are beyond repair and let's get rid of them' because you don't know until you get an informed opinion," Davis said.  "That's what we are providing."

He added there may be other damage around the island that they are not yet aware of.  It is not apparent at this time whether the damage was caused by high winds or a tornado. 

Davis said both homes were built before 1900 and one bears a Storm Survivor Plaque.

"It's ironic," Davis said.  "We hope it survives the storm of 2005."

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Michael E. DeBakey Medical Center

The Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center has established a Stroke Center to ensure veterans receive timely evaluation with diagnostic procedures and appropriate therapies based on guidelines established by the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association. 

"Stroke is the number one cause of adult disability in the U.S.,
and the third leading cause of death," a press release said.  

"More than 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke each year.  Every 45 seconds an American has a stroke; every three minutes someone dies of a stroke in this country; and 15 to 30 percent of stroke survivors have serious long-term disability."

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that it hospitalizes 15,000 veterans with a stroke each year.

The vital link in the operations of the MEDVAMC Stroke Center is the Acute Stroke Team, led by Thomas A. Kent, M.D., a stroke specialist and chief of the Neurology Care Line.  The Acute Stroke Team is comprised of neurology residents and staff, a neurology nurse practitioner, emergency room physicians and nurses, radiologist and technicians, laboratory
technicians, and medical consultants from neuroradiology, vascular surgery, cardiology and internal medicine. 

Key individuals on the team are available via a specialized paging system 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide immediate diagnosis and emergency treatment of veterans who are rushed to the Emergency Room with symptoms of a stroke.

Anyone who experiences any of the following stroke symptoms should call 911:  sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination or sudden, severe headache with no known cause.

Veterans interested in participating in a study of ways to help rehabilitate stroke survivors with non-fluent aphasia, difficulty producing speech, should contact Stephanie Schmadeke at (713) 794-7493 or Lynn M. Maher, faculty and principal investigator of the study at (713) 794-7152. 

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City Ballet of Houston

The City Ballet of Houston, a non-profit regional dance company and honor dance company in Regional Dance America/Southwest, will present a Spring Dance Concert Saturday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 15 at 2:30 p.m. at the Heinen Theatre, 3517 Austin Street.

Tickets are available at 9902 Long Point in Houston or at the theater box office at the time of performance.  For additional information, call Margo Marshall at (713) 468-3670.

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Children's Charities Golf Tournament

The Roger "Bo" Quiroga Fourth Annual Children's Charities Golf Tournament will take place on Friday, June 24 at the Galveston Island Municipal Golf Course at 1700 Sydnor Lane.  Registration will be at noon and players will tee off at 1:30 p.m.

Prizes will be awarded to the top four three-person teams.  Awards will also be given for closest to the pin on all par tees and longest drive on two holes.  A silent auction will also be held. 

To register or for additional information, contact Vivian Kleinschmidt at (409) 765-5534.

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On The Webio

Several items of interest to the Gulf Coast Region are posted on The Online News Station.

Returns from municipal and school board elections in Southeast Texas are posted on the Election Page.  Galveston County and Bay Area Houston     Jefferson County

Guidry News Service Reporter Dana Burke talked to the runoff opponents in the League City Mayor's Race.  Pat Hallisey  Jerry Shults

Weekend events in Galveston County included Cinco de Mayo in Texas City, the Galveston Historical Foundation Historic Homes Tour and the May Fete at Trinity Episcopal School in Galveston.  Photos

The Strand Theatre in Galveston will present Ruthless, the Musical from June 10 through July 3.  Flyer

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Scheduled Meetings
Meetings will be held in the regular meeting place of the city council or other governmental body, unless otherwise specified.

Today, May 9 
6:00 La Marque City Council 
7:00 Nassau Bay City Council
7:00 Shoreacres City Council
7:00 Taylor Lake Village Planning and Zoning Commission 
7:00 Galveston County Water Control and Improvement District 12

Tuesday, May 10 
8:00 Scholes International Airport at Galveston Advisory Committee, Terminal Conference Room
10:00 Harris County Commissioners Court
10:00 Pasadena City Council
10:30 Tricounty Republican Women's Meeting, Golfcrest Country Club in Pearland.  State Republican Executive Committee Member Dr. Robin Armstrong who is on the State Republican Executive Committee will speak
12:00 Rotary Club of Galveston Island, San Luis Resort. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson will speak
1:30 Beaumont City Council 
1:30 Houston City Council
1:30 Galveston Park Board of Trustees
5:30 Port Arthur City Council 
5:45 Friendswood Independent School District Board of Trustees 
6:30 League City City Council 
7:00 Dickinson City Council
7:00 Morgan's Point City Council 
7:30 El Lago City Council 
7:30 Texas City Independent School District Board of Trustees

Wednesday, May 11 
9:00 Houston City Council
12:00 Rotary Club of Galveston, Fisherman's Wharf.  
10:00 Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District, 1660 West Bay Area Boulevard, Friendswood 
12:00 Galveston Housing Finance Corporation/Galveston Property Finance Authority, 2127 Broadway
4:00 BAHEP 
4:00 Galveston West End Land Use Policy Committee, City Hall Room 204
5:00 Galveston College Board of Regents
Galveston County Mayors and Councilmembers Association, Tiki Island
7:00 Healing Prayer and Praise Service, William Temple Saint Luke the Physician Chapel 

 
Thursday, May 12 
11:00 - 7:00 Galveston Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, Galveston Island Convention Center at the San Luis Resort
12:00 Galveston City Council Workshop
12:00 Houston Downtown Management District, 909 Fannin, Ste 1650.
5:30 Galveston City Council
7:00 Kemah City Council
7:00 Santa Fe City Council 
7:00 La Marque Independent School District Board of Trustees 

Friday, May 13 
7:30 Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Business Connection, MCM Elegante' In the Veranda  

Saturday, May 14 
10:00 - 6:00 Galveston Historic Foundation Homes Tour
1:00 League City Big League Dreams Sports Park Gates Open
6:00 League City Big League Dreams Sports Park Celebrity Baseball Game
8:00 Tommy Tune and the Manhattan Ribbon Kings, Grand 1894 Opera House

Sunday, May 15
12:00 - 6:00 Galveston Historic Foundation Homes Tour

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Gulf Coast E-news, published by Guidry News Service, provides comprehensive coverage of posted public meetings in Galveston, Harris and Jefferson Counties as well as regional news impacting the Upper Texas Gulf Coast.

Jim and Lynda Guidry are publishers of Gulf Coast E-news and The Online News Station.

Jim Young is Houston City Correspondent.  Dana Burke is the Bay Area Houston Correspondent. Chuck Lawrence is Galveston City Correspondent.  Carl Guidry covers events in Jefferson County.  Anita Donatto covers the education beat in Galveston.  

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