HANNAH HARPSTER 5 Highlands
COREY HUFFMAN 18 Old River-Winfree
DONALD KERR 72 Waco/Highlands
ERIETHA McGUIRE 69 Highlands
Posts published in “Day: January 19, 2006”
ROTARY CHILI FEAST
NEW CHEVROLET HHR WON BY CHARLIE WARD OF HIGHLANDS
DETAILS AND LIST OF ALL WINNERS
IN NEWSPAPER OF 2/9/06
Getting ready for some smooth sailing are members of the West Chambers County Chamber of Commerce banquet committee. The recognition event, themed Winter Escape Comedy Cruise will be a fun filled evening with on-board entertainment by Radio Music Theatre, a highly acclaimed comedy trio from Houston. Tickets are available from the Chamber office by calling 281-576-5440. Pictured are Judy Barrow of Capital Bank, Cruise Director Sheila Crawford of Staffing Connection, Captain John Koonce of Barbers Hill Schools, First Mate Michelle Hicks Gilmore, a QuickbooksPro Advisor, Executive Chef Toni Lewis of Especial Events, and Entertainment Director Marlena Halloway of Enterprise.
About two months or so and it is supposed to be spring, say about 60 days. Makes one wonder if the weather clock needs to be adjusted. With all the shifting to warmer weather lately and coupled with hotter summers, longer droughts, adverse weather with the hurricanes and all, Greenhouse effect or not but best just leave things as they are because if Uncle Sam gets involved, Oh Lordy.
Spring gardening season is like the start of the NASCAR season with the end the race being the crop benefit. No benefit means you did not win the race.
Would love to plant the back yard full of corn or at least several dozen stalks. If a few ears of corn are gathered then there is a benefit for someone to enjoy as we do like fresh corn.
With a glare on my glasses as I sat here earlier facing the monitor, I heard: Charlie
.Charlie, come look we have two squirrels.
Oh great, here I am a tomato grower or suppose to be, and she praises the potential poachers to the little garden on Goose Creek.
Gardeners take things like that seriously. For instance Id love to have some chickens in the back yard but deed restrictions forbid hoof and fowl animals. Anyway, one friend finally got himself some guineas because he had wanted some for sometime.
Guineas are good guard dogs so to speak because they raise a ruckus when anyone approaches. He got the guineas and raised them in the coop out back inside a pen.
One fine fellow happy with his little brood and things went on for a while.
You know that guineas clean your yard of grasshoppers, and almost everything else that climbs, crawls, flies, scoots, toots and jumps in the back yard, and did it they did.
This old sodbuster was as proud of his soon to be garden with benefit as he was of the new brood of guineas he was raising.
He made himself seen around the chicks so they would get used to him being around them and not be skittish when he came around the coop or where they were.
Guineas they were and dig in the potato patch they did; got every potato he had.
The guineas were soon shipped off to relatives up around Huntsville.
So much for my chickens because I would do the same thing if I ever had any and they got in my tomatoes. Only wed eat fried chicken.
New Board members
Newly elected members of the Highlands Lynchburg Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, from left, C.R. Dickie Woods, Kristy Stallings, Betty Michalsky and Jim Strouhal. Not pictured are Betty Brewer, Janine Brower, Alan Hanagriff, Jeremy Rosenkranz and Tonya Russell.
By LEWIS SPEARMAN
CROSBY About 209 people packed the halls of Newport Country Club and Conference Center and cast about 1,111 votes per three at contest positions at the January 12 Annual Meeting of the Members in Newport.
Dan Kasprzak had the most votes counted, 792. Charley Lenderman records 778 votes. Walt Kroupa’s count was 776. Bruce Lindsay received 303 votes, Richard McDill, 304 and Lisa Worthen, 382. There were two other write in candidates. Kasprzak, Kroupa and Lenderman keep their board positions from last Thursday’s vote until 2009.
That is the most votes cast in any Newport election. There are 4,300 lots with 1875 single family homes in the subdivision.
From the nearly 250 homeowners at a January 5 meeting of Concerned Members of Newport, many on Monday contended that about 400 or more of the votes cast were cast by the board from the Newport Fund. Some residents related to the contenders are again demanding to see not how individuals voted but what the source of the votes were. The board’s contention that one cannot be isolated from the other and that they are defending the privacy of the voters will echo.
Whatever the source, homeowners cite a previous NPOAN agreement that developer’s votes would only be used to count a quorum; however, it is stated that the developer is independently holding only about 37 votes now, and that the rest have been transferred to Newport Fund.
The election follows accusations of election irregularities in the October Special Called Meeting. The board indicated then that there were no irregularities, then they decided to make changes and now, election issues have been resolved.
If the board casts the developer’s property votes that are in transition to builders then the board will retain an advantage in determining election outcomes including maintenance dues, deed restrictions, and ultimately who is elected to the board.
The board’s attorney has issued statements that they are not subject to state election laws and the board is not subject to the open meetings act but that all changes made to the election process were based upon other homeowners association’s procedures.
By GILBERT HOFFMAN
HIGHLANDS Each year the Highlands Fire Department holds an Installation Banquet, with recognition of outstanding service.
Chief Harvey Little is always the emcee for these awards. This year, for a change, he was recognized himself, as the Firefighter of the Year. This top award is given in recognition of the Firefighter who has by vote of the membership, performed above and beyond the call of duty as a volunteer.
Other top awards were given to Raymond Gonzalez, as Citizen of the Year, and his store, Food Town, was the Business of the Year. He received this notice because during the hurricanes, Gonzalez made available food and supplies in the store that was needed by local residents and officials.
Other awards went to Littles grandson, Kyle Little as Junior Firefighter of the year, and Rafael Errusuriz as Rookie of the Year.
The chaplain for this year is Beau Rosser, pastor of Highlands Second Baptist Church. The mascot is Michaela Mays.
Training for 2006 will be by Jerry Thompson for the Firefighters, and Kacey Sammons for the EMS.
Chief Little reviewed the accomplishments of the department in 2005. He mentioned the acquisition of a new Pierce Contender Pumper, and a Chevrolet 4×4 Brush Truck.
In fund raising, the annual BBQ raised a $9500 profit, and the department received a $85,000 FEMA grant, for breathing air apparatus. Other grants included $6200 from the Texas Forest Service. Little said that response times had been reduced.
Goals for 2006 include purchase of a thermal imaging camera, to locate bodies within a blazing building.
Station One was paid off in September. During Hurricane Rita the department was staffed and on full alert around the clock.
The department currently has 86 members affiliated, with 38 regular firefighters, 7 EMS only personnel, and 20 EMS part time paid.
Other statistics include a total of 1443 fire and EMS calls, as follows: 1228 EMS, 215 fire. Also 683 EMS transports, 121 vehicle accidents, and 31 Life Flights.
John Hughes, not present, was noted for his 40 years of service to the department.
EMS accomplishments were reviewed by the director, Kacey Sammons. She noted that new paramedics had been added, and thanked Dr. Paul Thoree, the volunteer medical director.
C-PAC equipment has been added, for heart failure and drowning victims.
The department hosted displaced EMS personnel from New Orleans at Christmas-time.
In 2006, the EMS will re-chassis an older ambulance, Sammons said. She thanked the Asst. EMS director, Teresa Campbell, for her outstanding work, especially on the paperwork.
The banquet was held at Bradys Landing, on the ship channel, with about 100 persons attending.
Top volunteers of the department who were recognized included Nathan Mathews, Rafael Errisuriz, Mike Carsner, Jerry Thompson, Samantha Hughes, Tommy McMorrow, Reggie Elliott, Josh Alford, and Teresa Campbell.
One Year of Service: Craig Lucas, Rafael Errisuriz, Courtney Briscoe, Kyle Little, Mike Carsner, Justin Faught. Five Years of Service, Zachary Brackin, Ben Mayeaux.
EDWARD COLLINS 32 Highlands
BILL PITTMAN 74 Mont Belvieu
ROSETTA STANLEY 75 Highlands
MARILYN WEBSTER 79 Crosby