Gulf Coast E-news

League City City Council on Monday voted 4-3, with Mayor Jerry Shults voting to break a tie, to approve an interlocal agreement with the Clear Creek Independent School District. Council members Katie Benoit, Rusty Tidwell and Mike Barber also favored the agreement; Tommy Cones, Jon Keeney and Jim Nelson were opposed.

Shults said that he hopes that CCISD will accept the agreement as an "olive branch."

The two entities have been at odds since the city council delayed action on a special use permit for the new high school on Palomino Road. District Judge Susan Criss ordered the city council to approve the SUP, but the issue was still clouded until the interlocal agreement was approved on Monday.

The agreement deleted two items the original interlocal agreement that was proposed by representatives of the city and the school district. One was a provision that the city cannot revoke any permits issued to the school district; the second would have kept the court involved as a mediator in the building of the fourth high school.

The Clear Creek Independent School District on Monday voted unanimously to approve the interlocal agreement with League City City Council, including the changes approved by the council.

"The school district has regretted the need to file litigation relative to its efforts to get high school number four built," said School Board President Robert Davee. "We have worked with the city to reach an agreement that we hope puts to rest anything that will interfere with the district's effort to begin construction of this much needed school. We will still need the city's cooperation to get the school opened on a timely basis and will have to wait and see if the city will continue to work with the district to insure that construction is completed on a timely basis."

Beaumont City Council, meeting today as the board of directors of the Beaumont Housing Finance Corporation, voted to issue up to $5 million in revenue bonds as a loan to Maple Glen Partners, LLC to finance the acquisition, development and rehabilitation of a 150 unit apartment complex at 4365 South 4th Street in Beaumont. Listen

"Maple Glen Partners, LLC wants to buy the housing complex and will renovate and make substantial improvements to the property," said City Attorney Tyrone Cooper, explaining that today's action was an inducement resolution, which is a non- binding resolution of the City Beaumont and the BHFC.

Attorney Lance Fox assured the board that there is "no liability or debt for the City of Beaumont" with the action.

Council Member Bobby Patterson questioned developer Jorge Newbery about the impact on the current residents of the project. He assured her that work will begin on currently vacant units and the residents will be moved into them before work begins on their units.

Newbery also assured Patterson that local contractors will be used on the project.

At a very brief regular meeting of the city council Deny McKusker announced that an anonymous donor has contributed $10,000 to the Beaumont Humane Society that will be available to the Beaumont Police Department to help fight animal cruelty, specifically dog fights.

Photos and additional audio excerpts from the meetings will be posted on the Jefferson County Page of The Online News Station.

La Marque City Council on Monday voted to accept a donation of $164,600 from BP for the purchase of computer-aided dispatch and records management system.

City Manager Robert Ewart told Heath Guidry that the city really appreciates the donation by BP to the Police Department. Listen

“It is $164,600 for us to obtain a computer-aided dispatch program and system at the police department," Ewart said. "I think that’s going to enhance that operation quite a bit as far as emergency dispatch whether it is police, fire, or EMS.”

The city council named Vickie Reed, of the Judicial Department, and Jeff Vaszuez, of the Shop Department as Employee of the Month for May and June, respectively.

Mayor Larry Crow and Council Member Keith Bell were absent. All items were approved unanimously.

Nassau Bay City Council on Monday approved a contract with First Southwest Company, Inc. for financial advisory services.

The city council reappointed Jim Edwards, Robert Howard Dietz and alternate member Keith McClung to the Board of Adjustment.

The city council heard the first reading of an ordinance to amend the building code that would allow for registration fees to be collected from contractors.

Police Chief Ron Wrobleski presented information regarding parking issues involving boat trailers. After lengthy discussion, the council requested a proposal to be drafted by Wrobleski with possible changes to the ordinance based on consensus reached.

The city council held a public hearing on the FY06 Budget and scheduled a budget workshop for Monday, August 29 at 6 p.m.

Shoreacres City Council on Monday unanimously approved an expenditure of $5,400 for wood-chipping of limbs collected during the "Clean Up, Green Up" campaign held in April. The mulch will be available to the public when they bring limbs for mulching during the next Clean Up, Green Up.

"It's almost an exchange," Stall said. "When you drop off your limbs you can get the last Clean Up, Green Up mulch."

The Shoreacres Parks Board presented recommendations for renaming of city parks. Under the proposal, the wetlands park on West Bayou would be renamed Heron Park, the park area on Circle Drive would be renamed Circle Park and the waterfront park along Miramar would be renamed Miramar Park. A portion of that park near the Houston Yacht Club would be named Shell Beach at Miramar Park. The recommendations will appear as a resolution on the agenda of the next regular meeting.

Mayor Nancy Edmondson and Council Member Joe Gomer were absent. Mayor Pro Tem Jayo Washington conducted the meeting. All items were approved unanimously.

Jefferson County Commissioners Court has announced the first of several committee meetings resulting from the abolishment of the Jefferson County Citizens Steering Committee on Monday.

The committee charged with examining the recommendation that the county print shop be reorganized will meet on Friday, August 12 at 9 a.m. in the Jefferson County Purchasing Office, 1149 Pearl Street, First Floor, Beaumont, Texas.

The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss whether or not to recommend that the commissioners court abolish the print shop, as the management committee recommended.

Gene Hafele of the National Weather Service today reported to the Galveston Emergency Management Advisory Committee that the tropics are almost as quiet as they have been all year.

"We still have Irene out there," Hafele said. "I think it is still a tropical depression. It's expected to turn North eventually and may affect the Bermuda area, but is definitely not a player in the Gulf of Mexico."

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson on Monday announced the Texas coast will receive $240 million over four years from the passage of a comprehensive energy bill, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush. Patterson welcomed the federal aid, but cautioned that the state’s coast remains at risk until a steady, reliable source of funding to fight coastal erosion is found. “Realistically, this money makes up for lost time,” Patterson said. “In the 95 years the federal government has given the states money to fight coastal erosion, Texas has received only one percent of the total money allocated. Texas needs to play catch up in the fight against erosion.”

The money was authorized by Congress under the Coastal Impact Assistance Program and is intended to mitigate the effects of Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas production on Gulf Coast states. The $240 million will be overseen by the General Land Office and 18 coastal counties at the discretion of Governor Rick Perry, much like the 2001 CIAP funding.

“This money will come as a relief to communities all along the Texas coast,” Patterson said. “Still, these same communities have told us they have about $900 million worth of unmet needs.”

In 2003, Patterson created Coastal Texas 2020, a 20-year initiative to fight coastal erosion. The 79th Legislature recently appropriated roughly $7 million for the next two years for anti-erosion efforts.

“This federal funding represents a generous, but short-term, success for the Texas coast,” Patterson said. “However, Coastal Texas 2020 is about what we need 20 years down the road, not four. This money does not represent a long-term commitment at the state or federal level to address issues of the Texas coast. This money is a welcome shot in the arm, but we’ve got more work to do.”

The Galveston Bay Foundation, in collaboration with the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, is hosting a meeting on Thursday, August 11 at 5:30 p.m. at Brady's Landing Restaurant, 8585 Cypress in Houston, to inform the local community about the draft 2006 Regional Water Plan recently prepared by the Region H Water Planning Group.

A brief presentation of the draft plan, named the Initially Prepared Plan, will address several water planning items including the water needs for this region based upon project population growth and water demand, water supplies available to meet that water demand, and water management strategies for meeting any identified water shortages. Members of the RHWPG and their consulting team will be available before and after the meeting to answer individual questions.

Region H includes all or part of Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, Walker, and Waller counties in southeast Texas and includes the entire San Jacinto River basin and the lower reaches of the Brazos and Trinity River basins.

“Will there be enough water to meet all the needs of the rapidly growing Region H area? Our region’s water plan will take into account water needs based on projected population and water demand, but we must also address the protection of water resources for the Bay,” states Bob Stokes, President of the Galveston Bay Foundation. “Citizens will have the opportunity to get answers to their questions at this meeting. Their input is valuable at this stage in the process. The management strategy is still under development and the planning group wants to hear local concerns.”

A copy of the IPP is available at www.twdb.state.tx.us. For information call (281) 332-3381, extension 207 or email astrogen@galvbay.org.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have linked the hormone gastrin to the body’s ability to maintain normal weight and normal insulin levels.

In experiments conducted on mice, the UTMB researchers, led by Pomila Singh, Ph.D., professor of neurosciences and cell biology at UTMB, found that removing gastrin production triggered obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic changes that then increased the risk of colon cancer in the animals. The results of the research have been published in “Cancer,” the journal of the American Cancer Society.

The scientists unearthed gastrin’s relationship to metabolic factors that control obesity and insulin while they were conducting separate research on the mice to determine whether the removal of gastrin, a growth hormone secreted in the gastrointestinal system, has a connection to colon cancer.

Many hormonal factors that promote obesity are also risk factors for colon cancer. This latest study shows that obesity and metabolic changes stemming from the removal of gastrin increase the risk of colon cancer.

“We have for the first time connected three things that weren’t known to be connected: gastrin, obesity and cancer,” Singh said. “We believe that the increase in obesity and the increase in insulin are increasing the risk of colon cancer in mice.”

Singh’s team will conduct further studies that will examine whether the gastrin hormone acts as a controlling, stabilizing mechanism on metabolic functions. They will also look at whether the normal presence of gastrin may actually help protect the body against colon cancer.

The article titled “Abdominal obesity, insulin resistance and colon carcinogenesis are increased in mutant mice lacking gastrin gene expression,” appeared in the June 15, 2005 issue of Cancer. For a copy of the article, please contact the UTMB media relations office at (409) 772-6397 or public.affairs@utmb.edu.

The D'Feet Breast Cancer Family Fun Run to support breast cancer research will be held on Saturday, October 22 at Moody Gardens. Opening ceremonies begin at 8 a.m. A dove release, provided the Racing Pigeon Club will begin the race at 8:30 a.m.

D'Feet will honor Dr. Baiba Grube, a University of Texas Medical Branch surgeon who specializes in breast cancer treatment and Dr. Beverly Lewis, who specializes in surgery for women, during the event.

There will be four place winners in each of two children's categories. Children will recieve a medal and a goodie bag as well as a "KOOL" kid's party with a breakfast provided by McDonald's and lunch from Mario's. Three place winners for both male and female adult participants in categories in five-year increments will be awarded.

The Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center will host a free Parkinson's Disease Patient & Family Forum for veterans, family members and friends on Friday, September 9 at 10:30 a.m. in the fourth floor auditorium of the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 2002 Holcombe Boulevard in Houston.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has established six Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers, one at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston.

Each PADRECC conducts research covering basic biomedicine, rehabilitation, health services delivery, and clinical trials and is participating in a landmark clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of surgical implantation of deep brain stimulators in reducing the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Free valet parking is available. For information call Naomi Nelson, Ph.D., R.N. at (713) 794-8938 or visit http://www.houston.med.va.gov/pressrel.html.

Pamela Saur, professor of English and German at Lamar University, has published two new international non-fiction works on Austrian history and culture, one that she co-edited and another that she translated.

“Visions and Visionaries in Contemporary Austrian Literature and Film,” co-edited by Margarete Lamb-Faffelberger, was published by Peter Lang Publishing Inc. It s a collection of essays on contemporary literature and film.

The English translation of Graziella Hlawaty’s “Broken Songs: An Adolescent in War-Torn Vienna,” was published by Ariadne Press. It is a historical novel based on the author's memories of World War II.

“I have been interested in the study of Austrian literature since my junior year abroad at the University of Vienna many years ago,” said Saur, who has been a member of the Lamar faculty since 1988. “Recently, I’ve learned that I also enjoy translating Austrian literary works from German to English. In doing so, I gain a deeper understanding of the works and learn new aspects of both languages in the process.”

United States Senator John Cornyn issued a statement on the successful landing of the space shuttle Discovery.

“This successful NASA mission of space shuttle Discovery is a key milestone and a positive indication that America’s preeminent space exploration program will continue and grow. And I join Americans and people around the world who stand in awe of these astronauts for their bravery, hard work and achievement," Cornyn said. “A robust manned space program is critical to both America’s proud tradition of exploration and its commercial and military preeminence in space. NASA’s missions foster technological and scientific advances and help ensure our national security as well as create jobs for thousands of Texans and thousands of Americans."

United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson will join House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas and other community leaders on Wednesday, August 10 for the groundbreaking of the Galveston National Laboratory at the William C. Levin Hall at the University of Texas Medical Branch. The ceremony will begin at noon.

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

Today, August 9
5:45 Friendswood Independent School District Board of Trustees
6:00 Port Neches City Council Public Meeting with Kemah Oficials to Discuss Riverfront Development, Wilton and Effie Hebert Public Library, 2025 Merriman
6:30 Bayou Vista Board of Aldermen
7:00 Dickinson City Council
7:00 Morgan's Point City Council
7:00 League City City Council
7:00 Seabrook City Council Special Meeting
7:30 Texas City Independent School District Board of Trustees
7:30 Galveston Beach Band Summer Concert, Sealy Pavilion behind Ashton Villa

Wednesday, August 10
9:00 Houston City Council
10:00 Congressman Ron Paul District Office Ribbon Cutting, 601 25th Street
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
12:00 University of Texas Medical Branch Groundbreaking for National Biocontainment Laboratory, Levin Hall
12:00 Board of Directors of the Galveston Housing Finance Corporation, City of Galveston Property Finance Committee, Incorporated, law offices of Tremonte, Tremonte and Bastien, 2127 Broadway
4:00 Galveston West End Land Use Policy Committee meeting, City Hall
5:00 Galveston College Board of Regents6:30 League City City Council Budget Workshop
Print Version

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.

Heath Guidry is Galveston City Correspondent. Carl Guidry covers events in Jefferson County. Anita Donatto covers the education beat in Galveston. Patty Mayeux is editor of Gulf Coast E-news.

Robert John Mihovil is a special photographic correspondent for Guidry News Service

We are seeking to hire reporters & marketing agents to expand our coverage in Jefferson & Harris Counties.

Guidry News Service offices at 1818 Church Street, Suite 4, Galveston, TX. 77550 / P.O. Box 2130, Galveston, TX 77553
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This electronic newsletter replaced, and expanded on, the mission of the Galveston Fax, established by Jim and Lynda Guidry on Galveston Island in July 1996; and Clear Lake Area E-news, begun on January 2, 2002.


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