bpalacios palacios n · pwc covid-19 forum the palacios wellness council facilitated a covid-19...

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Governor’s Order Restricts Alcohol Serving Establishments SEE PAGE 5 SEE PAGE 9 DCTF High On Tigers In 2020 WEDNESDAY JULY 1, 2020 VOL. 113 • NO. 26 BEACON BRIEFS P. O. Box 817 • 310 Fifth St. Palacios, TX 77465 (361) 972-3009 [email protected] Website: palaciosbeacon.com The Only Newspaper In The World Published Just For The Palacios Area. PALACIOS, TEXAS Beacon Deadline 5 p.m. Friday Except for paid advertising, all articles, photos or other information submitted on Monday will be published on a space available basis only. th Observing Our 113 Year 1907-2020 Open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Beacon Closed Wednesday Inside This Week.... Palacios Beacon Area Briefs...............Page 2 Police Reports..........Page 3 Early Files................Page 5 Classifieds.............. Page 7 Lifestyles..................Page 9 Sports....................Page 10 COVID-19 Community Forum hosted by PWC Mon. A Community Fo- rum on the COVID-19 virus will be presented by the Palacios Well- ness Council via Zoom video-conference at 7 p.m. on Mon. (July 6). To join the Forums please use the follow- ing link https://zoom. us/j/93483118866. • Deadline for Articles, Classified & Display Ads 4:30 p.m. Friday• ‘Like’ the Palacios Beacon on facebook SUBSCRIBE TO THE PALACIOS BEACON $30 A YEAR IN COUNTY $40 A YEAR OUT-OF COUNTY Early voting underway in primary run-off elections Proudly Serving The City By The Sea Since 1907 USPS 418460 1 SectiON, 10 PAGeS Palacios Palacios BEACON BEACON $1. 00 P ALACIOS P RIDE PICK IT UP BY RYAN WEST Palacios Beacon-Publisher Council returns to chambers An unintentional wheelie... BY RYAN WEST Palacios Beacon-Publisher County’s COVID-19 case numbers surge (See BUDGET, Page 2) JANIE & JOHNNY PENLAND (See 4TH, Page 3) (See CASES, Page 3) (See CITY, Page 3) SEE PAGE 3 Council’s Newest Takes Oath Of Office Early voting in the 2020 Primary run-off election be- gins Mon. (June 29). Casting of early ballots in the primary run-off election runs from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. thru July 2, and July 6-10. Residents may cast their early ballots at the Matagorda County Courthouse Annex, located at 405 Commerce St. in Palacios or the Matagorda County Multi-Purpose Build- ing in Bay City. The Republican primary ticket features the runoff for candidate for State Rep. Dis- trict 25 between Cody Va- sut and Ro’Vin Garrett, and the Matagorda County Pct. 3 Commissioner runoff featur- ing Troy Shimek and Steven Johnson. A pair of runoffs are fea- tured on the Democratic primary ticket as Mary ‘MJ’ Hegar duels Royce West in the US Senate race to face incumbent John Cornyn in the November’s general elec- tion; and on the State front, Chrysta Castaneda and Ro- berto ‘Beto’ Alonzo battle for the Democratic Railroad Commissioner nomination. ONE unfortunate motorist found herself the victim of an unintentional wheelie, when the vehicle was driven off edge of a the parking lot at the new Palacios Volunteer Fire Dept. Fire Station with the front tire falling into the culvert and sending the back end of the small SUV into the air. Luckily for the driver, first responders were near by for quick assistance. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West) Lions 71st annual Fourth of July celebration, a fireworks only affair In echoing of William Wallace’s famous line from Braveheart, “They may take our bingo, carnival and helicopter rides but they’ll never take our fireworks.” The recent uptick in spread of COVID-19 has caused the Palacios Lions Club to bounce the ever popular bingo, carnival and helicpoter from its 71st annual Fourth of July Celebra- tion, held this Thurs. - Fri. along East Bay Park, but the show will go on for the Indepen- dence Day fireworks show over the waters of East Bay. Be sure and cast your patriotic eyes toward the East Bay Lions Pier at 9:30 p.m. on Sat- urday, the Fourth of July, for the annual fire- works extravaganza to close out the celebra- tion. Palacios Lions Club President Erwin Jant- zen broke the bingo news late last week that Stating that the “pandemic” really hurt their business, John and Janie Penland have called it quits after 35 years at the res- taurant and John’s 55 years at his barber shop. At 80 years of age, John said he and Janie have made the decision to retire and possibly see the country via a train trip. Their written statement reads, “Thanks so much to all our cus- tomers. See y’all at the pass. God Bless,” John & Janie Pen- land. Janie’s Snack Bar closing it’s doors BY ALAN C. SCHULMAN Palacios Beacon - Reporter The first round of budget discussions for the 2020-21 fiscal year for the City of Pa- lacios was held via budget workshop last week. In the first of two-scheduled workshops on the City’s pro- posed budget, the City’s high- est budgeted item took center stage - the police department. With the local law enforce- ment agency accounting for 45% of the proposed bud- get, Councilwoman Donna Schulman raised the concern - which was raised to her by constituents - of, is the num- ber of officers per shift neces- sary. Police, Recycle Center hot topics at budget workshop The Palacios City Council marked its return to Council chambers after a near-three month absence with last week’s in-person meeting. It didn’t take long for things to get back to normal, as Greg Bandish, of the 500 block of East Bay Boule- vard, took to the podium dur- ing the Citizen Forum with a suggestion for remediating trash being blown from the barrels along the bay front. “You think about putting lids on there to keep the trash in,” Brandish said, “it’s just physics.” Oath of Office New councilman in Pos. 6, Mike Dotson was given the oath of office by City Secre- tary Clissa Mills. Dotson is filing the unex- pired term of Steve McGov- ern, which runs thru Novem- ber. Dotson is unopposed for the seat in the November race. Budget Amendments Originally planned for March, City Treasurer Tammy McDonald said the amendments are done twice each year. “We had some large ex- penses and are moving mon- BY RYAN WEST Palacios Beacon-Publisher When it comes to the current upward trend with the spread of COVID-19 around Matagorda County that the sky’s the limit - and thats not a good thing. As of our last reporting, there were 108 confirmed positive cases in Matagorda Coun- ty, of which 58 were recovered, 45 were ac- tive and five deaths. Since then, that number has surged to 175 cases, with 109 active and 61 recovered. That’s an increase of roughly 240% percent in active cases over a seven day period and a total of 67 new cases. After being one of the first states in the na- tion to ease stay-at-home restrictions, the re- cent spike in cases in Texas has forced Gov. Gregg Abbot to whip out his pen and sign an executive order last Friday effectively shut down bars across the state and restricted res- taurants back down to 50% dine-in capacity. Mayor of Palacios Glen Smith released a statement on the heels of the Governors new order. As for the upcoming Fourth of July Cel- ebration hosted by the Palacios Lions Club, Smith said, “The organizers of…the celebra- tion have coordinated with the city in meet- ing the conditions and restrictions that have been provided covering proper protocols and minimum health standards that have been outlined by the Governor’s Plan to Reopen Texas. Therefore, as of today (June 27) the planned activities for the 4th of July weekend will not go forward as planned.” Smith urged the citizens to take the neces- sary steps to stop the spike of COVID-19 cas- es that have affected our community, county and state. “I urge all of our citizens in Palacios to utilize face masks when they cannot safely practice social distancing and use hand sani- tizer whenever possible,” the Mayor said. “The Governor’s Order states that people should not be in groups larger than 10 and should maintain six feet of social distancing from those not in their group.” Another round of free COVID-19 testing was held in Bay City last Wed. and Thurs. where a total of 407 test were administered. PWC COVID-19 Forum The Palacios Wellness Council facilitated a COVID-19 forum via Zoom on June 22, where 35 participants battled through band- with issues, to hear multiple presenters. Matagorda County Emergency Mange- ment Coordinator Amanda Campos provided insight into the numbers of cases and recent spike in the county. “In Palacios there are 10-15 active cases,” Campos said of the COVID-19 outbreak, with somewhere between 5-10 recovered cases. Questioned on what individuals should do if they test positive, Campos said the proto- col is to stay a home and self quarantine until thee are no longer any symptoms and receive a negative result on two consecutive tests.

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Page 1: BPalacios Palacios N · PWC COVID-19 Forum The Palacios Wellness Council facilitated a COVID-19 forum via Zoom on June 22, where 35 participants battled through band-with issues,

Governor’s OrderRestricts Alcohol

Serving EstablishmentsSee Page 5 See Page 9

DCTF High On Tigers

In 2020

WEDNESDAYJULY 1, 2020VOL. 113 • NO. 26

BEACONBRIEFS

P. O. Box 817 • 310 Fifth St.Palacios, TX 77465

(361) [email protected]

Website: palaciosbeacon.com

The OnlyNewspaper In The

World Published Just For The Palacios Area.

PALACIOS,

TEXAS

Beacon Deadline 5 p.m. Friday

Except for paid advertising, all articles, photos or other information submitted on Monday will be published on a space available basis only.

thObserving Our

113Year1907-2020

Open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.Beacon Closed Wednesday

Inside ThisWeek....

Palacios Beacon

Area Briefs...............Page 2 Police Reports..........Page 3Early Files................Page 5Classifieds.............. Page 7Lifestyles..................Page 9Sports....................Page 10

■ COVID-19 C o m m u n i t y Forum hosted by PWC Mon.

A Community Fo-rum on the COVID-19 virus will be presented by the Palacios Well-ness Council via Zoom video-conference at 7 p.m. on Mon. (July 6). To join the Forums please use the follow-ing link https://zoom.us/j/93483118866.

• Deadline for Articles, Classified & Display Ads 4:30 p.m. Friday•

BY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

‘Like’ the Palacios Beacon on

facebookSUBSCRIBE

TO THEPALACIOSBEACON$30 A YEARIN COUNTY$40 A YEAR

OUT-OF COUNTY

Early voting underway in primary run-off elections

Proudly Serving The City By The Sea Since 1907USPS 418460 1 SectiON, 10 PAGeS

PalaciosPalaciosBEACONBEACON$1.00

Palacios Pride

Pick it uP

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

Council returns to chambers

An unintentional wheelie...

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

County’s COVID-19 case numbers surge

(See BUDGET, Page 2)

JANIE & JOHNNY PENLAND

(See 4TH, Page 3)

(See CASES, Page 3)

(See CITY, Page 3)

See Page 3

Council’s Newest TakesOath Of Office

Early voting in the 2020 Primary run-off election be-gins Mon. (June 29).

Casting of early ballots in the primary run-off election runs from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. thru July 2, and July 6-10.

Residents may cast their early ballots at the Matagorda County Courthouse Annex, located at 405 Commerce St. in Palacios or the Matagorda County Multi-Purpose Build-ing in Bay City.

The Republican primary ticket features the runoff for candidate for State Rep. Dis-trict 25 between Cody Va-

sut and Ro’Vin Garrett, and the Matagorda County Pct. 3 Commissioner runoff featur-ing Troy Shimek and Steven Johnson.

A pair of runoffs are fea-tured on the Democratic primary ticket as Mary ‘MJ’ Hegar duels Royce West in the US Senate race to face incumbent John Cornyn in the November’s general elec-tion; and on the State front, Chrysta Castaneda and Ro-berto ‘Beto’ Alonzo battle for the Democratic Railroad Commissioner nomination.

ONE unfortunate motorist found herself the victim of an unintentional wheelie, when the vehicle was driven off edge of a the parking lot at the new Palacios Volunteer Fire Dept. Fire Station with the front tire falling into the culvert and sending the back end of the small SUV into the air. Luckily for the driver, first responders were near by for quick assistance. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West)

Lions 71st annual Fourth of July celebration, a fireworks only affair

In echoing of William Wallace’s famous line from Braveheart, “They may take our bingo, carnival and helicopter rides but they’ll never take our fireworks.”

The recent uptick in spread of COVID-19 has caused the Palacios Lions Club to bounce the ever popular bingo, carnival and helicpoter from its 71st annual Fourth of July Celebra-tion, held this Thurs. - Fri. along East Bay Park, but the show will go on for the Indepen-

dence Day fireworks show over the waters of East Bay.

Be sure and cast your patriotic eyes toward the East Bay Lions Pier at 9:30 p.m. on Sat-urday, the Fourth of July, for the annual fire-works extravaganza to close out the celebra-tion.

Palacios Lions Club President Erwin Jant-zen broke the bingo news late last week that

Stating that the “pandemic” really hurt their business, John and Janie Penland have called it quits after 35 years at the res-taurant and John’s 55 years at his barber shop.

At 80 years of age, John said he and Janie have made the decision to retire and possibly see the country via a train trip. Their written statement reads, “Thanks so much to all our cus-tomers. See y’all at the pass. God Bless,” John & Janie Pen-land.

Janie’s Snack Bar closing it’s doorsBY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

The first round of budget discussions for the 2020-21 fiscal year for the City of Pa-lacios was held via budget workshop last week.

In the first of two-scheduled workshops on the City’s pro-posed budget, the City’s high-est budgeted item took center

stage - the police department.With the local law enforce-

ment agency accounting for 45% of the proposed bud-get, Councilwoman Donna Schulman raised the concern - which was raised to her by constituents - of, is the num-ber of officers per shift neces-sary.

Police, Recycle Center hot topics at budget workshop

The Palacios City Council marked its return to Council chambers after a near-three month absence with last week’s in-person meeting.

It didn’t take long for things to get back to normal, as Greg Bandish, of the 500 block of East Bay Boule-vard, took to the podium dur-ing the Citizen Forum with a suggestion for remediating trash being blown from the barrels along the bay front.

“You think about putting lids on there to keep the trash in,” Brandish said, “it’s just physics.”

Oath of OfficeNew councilman in Pos. 6,

Mike Dotson was given the oath of office by City Secre-tary Clissa Mills.

Dotson is filing the unex-pired term of Steve McGov-ern, which runs thru Novem-ber. Dotson is unopposed for the seat in the November race.

Budget AmendmentsOriginally planned for

March, City Treasurer Tammy McDonald said the amendments are done twice each year.

“We had some large ex-penses and are moving mon-

BY RYAN WESTPalacios Beacon-Publisher

When it comes to the current upward trend with the spread of COVID-19 around Matagorda County that the sky’s the limit - and thats not a good thing.

As of our last reporting, there were 108 confirmed positive cases in Matagorda Coun-ty, of which 58 were recovered, 45 were ac-tive and five deaths. Since then, that number has surged to 175 cases, with 109 active and 61 recovered.

That’s an increase of roughly 240% percent in active cases over a seven day period and a total of 67 new cases.

After being one of the first states in the na-tion to ease stay-at-home restrictions, the re-

cent spike in cases in Texas has forced Gov. Gregg Abbot to whip out his pen and sign an executive order last Friday effectively shut down bars across the state and restricted res-taurants back down to 50% dine-in capacity.

Mayor of Palacios Glen Smith released a statement on the heels of the Governors new order.

As for the upcoming Fourth of July Cel-ebration hosted by the Palacios Lions Club, Smith said, “The organizers of…the celebra-tion have coordinated with the city in meet-ing the conditions and restrictions that have been provided covering proper protocols and minimum health standards that have been outlined by the Governor’s Plan to Reopen Texas. Therefore, as of today (June 27) the planned activities for the 4th of July weekend

will not go forward as planned.”Smith urged the citizens to take the neces-

sary steps to stop the spike of COVID-19 cas-es that have affected our community, county and state.

“I urge all of our citizens in Palacios to utilize face masks when they cannot safely practice social distancing and use hand sani-tizer whenever possible,” the Mayor said. “The Governor’s Order states that people should not be in groups larger than 10 and should maintain six feet of social distancing from those not in their group.”

Another round of free COVID-19 testing was held in Bay City last Wed. and Thurs. where a total of 407 test were administered.

PWC COVID-19 ForumThe Palacios Wellness Council facilitated

a COVID-19 forum via Zoom on June 22, where 35 participants battled through band-with issues, to hear multiple presenters.

Matagorda County Emergency Mange-ment Coordinator Amanda Campos provided insight into the numbers of cases and recent spike in the county.

“In Palacios there are 10-15 active cases,” Campos said of the COVID-19 outbreak, with somewhere between 5-10 recovered cases.

Questioned on what individuals should do if they test positive, Campos said the proto-col is to stay a home and self quarantine until thee are no longer any symptoms and receive a negative result on two consecutive tests.

Page 2: BPalacios Palacios N · PWC COVID-19 Forum The Palacios Wellness Council facilitated a COVID-19 forum via Zoom on June 22, where 35 participants battled through band-with issues,

DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAYPage 2 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., July 1, 2020

May’s stay-at-home boosted City sales tax revenue 18%

Garwood rice dryer up in flamesGARWOOD: The roaring flames of a 10-alarm rice

dryer blaze in Harwood were beaten down by volun-teer firefighters Sunday night before it could burn to the ground. No one was injured in the fire which could be seen as far away as Nada, but due to age, officials say it’s unlikely the Stallman rice dryer will reopen. The dryer was empty when the fire started, but rain was moving through the area making lightning the likely cause. “The point of origin is on top of the dryer. There’s no way it could have been arson. They would have had to break in and climb a wooden ladder 10 stories high,” Harwood Volunteer Fire Chief Todd Krenek said. Krenek immedi-ately summoned volunteer firefighters, tanker trucks and pumpers from El Campo, Eagle Lake, Columbus, Rock Island, Weimer, Sheridan, Hungerford, Wharton, Glen Flora and Midfield. “The dryer won’t likely reopen just because of its age and the cost of repairs, but it did not burn down.” - El Campo Leader-News

Caldwell Co. to resume feral hog bounty programLULING: The Caldwell County feral hog bounty is

tentatively scheduled to resume on Wednesday, July 1, program organizers announced recently. So, what is a feral hog bounty? It’s part of a $20,000 grant program Caldwell County recently received from Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, Wildlife Services Division, to continue countywide feral hog abatement efforts. Caldwell County’s feral hog program for 2020 will in-clude a $5 feral hog bounty, one workshop, one webi-nar, aeriel control, free trapping equipment for a limited number of local participants, and a countywide damage assessment. According to countywide numbers kept by the group, more than 10,457 feral hogs have been har-vested from Caldwell County in the last 36 months. - Luling Newsboy & SignalK-9 officer sniffs out 3.5-kilos of cocaine in stopLA GRANGE: The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office

Narcotics Canine Unit, Sgt. Randy Thumann and K-9 partner Kolt, stopped a Lincoln SUV on Interstate 10 at the 660 mile-marker at approximately 1:30 p.m. for a traffic violation. After speaking to the driver, Thumann observed several indicators of drug smuggling. After further investigation, Thumann located approximately 3.5 kilos of cocaine and U.S. currency from drug pro-ceeds. The cocaine has a street value of approximately $350,000. Gabriella Angelica Machado, 24, of Laredo was arrested for felony cocaine possession and taken to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center in La Grange. - The Banner-Press Newspaper

PALACIOS BEACON

Area BriefsBY ALAN C. SCHULMANPalacios Beacon - Reporter

Palacios Lions Club71st Annual

Friday, JULY 3RD6 - 8 p.m. BINGO

CARNIVAL

Saturday, JULY 3RD11 a.m. Flag Raising Ceremony

Food & Vendor Booths1 p.m. Carnival & Activities

3 p.m. - 9 p.m. BINGO3 p.m. Helicopter Rides

6 p.m. LaSalle Landing Re-enactment

July 4th Celebration At East Bay Park

The Palacios Beacon...where YOU get the local news, sports and more

May was a month when businesses were hit hard by the lockdowns stemming from the coronavirus. and it would be expected that sales would be down at area retailers, fol-lowed by lower sales tax re-bates remitted to area cities.

But, that scenario never ma-terialized as the State Comp-troller’s Office reported above average sales tax revenues dis-tributed to most area cities.

Palacios was one of eight, out of thirteen, area cities re-porting greater sales tax re-bates in May 2020 compared to the same month in 2019, with the same number of cit-

ies reporting higher year-to-date figures than in 2019.

The State Comptroller’s Office collects sales tax and distributes rebates to cities, transit systems, and special taxing districts monthly.

The following are rebates to 13 area cities for May 2020, with percentage change in parentheses, and Year-to-

date 2020, with percentage change in parentheses. Bay City: $568,918, $488,095 (16.55%) $3,175,826, $2,910,335 (9.12%) East Bernard: $47,283, $48,157 (-1.81%) $263,113, $234,885 (12.01%) Edna: $99,612, $96,210 (3.53%) $621,916, $560,976 (10.86%) El Cam-po: $411,145, $390,127

Breakfast & Lunch

Michael & Nancy Dotson Owner/Operators 361-484-5885 • 458 Main St.

• Delicious Burgers• Sandwiches

• Homemade Sweets• Hand-dipped

Bluebell Ice Cream• Specialty Coffee

Drinks

PRIME PARTS SUPPLY, INC.

709 Henderson • Palacios

361-972-2565

Prime Parts would like to say thank you

to our brave heroes for sacrificing their life for the

independence of our nation.

Happy Fourth of July!

The Presbyterian Aid Fund, an outreach of First Presbyterian Church of Pa-lacios, is reaching out to the Palacios Small Businesses to help with needs related to COVID-19.

The Aid Fund is partnering with the Palacios Economic Development Corporation to serve as a receiving site for Aid Fund requests. The mis-sion of this partnership is to help Small Businesses in Pa-lacios who are in need. Both entities recognize that there are many in our community who have experienced loss of hours or loss of job due to the pandemic. Their needs may include help with utili-ties, rent, PPE, and eligible

COVID 19 supplies.The PEDC, located at 420

Main St., Palacios, will open on Wednesday, July 1st with appropriate health and safety measures in place. To protect both our Business Owners and PEDC staff, the PEDC office will be open to Busi-nesses by appointment only and allowing one Business at a time (please wear a mask at the time of your appoint-ment). The PEDC will be open Monday – Thursdays from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m., and Fridays 9 a.m. - 12- noon.

Completed request forms may be turned into the PEDC staff by appointment or in the mail slot by the front door.

Those leaving requests will be contacted to come to the PEDC beginning July 1st, by appointment. For ques-tions, please call Pam Oliver, PEDC Office Manager, at the PEDC at 361-972-3729.

The Presbyterian Aid Fund is a non-profit organization, donations are gladly accept-ed. Donations may be made to the Presbyterian Aid Fund and mailed to the First Pres-byterian Church, 501 3rd St., Palacios, TX. 77465. Dona-tions specific to small busi-ness must say PEDC in the memo line.

PEDC partners with Presbyterian Aid Fund as site for small business assistance requests

BUDGET(Continued From Page 1)“Is there any way we can

trim to reduce the budget?”, she asked.

“We pretty much have bare bones now,” noted Mayor Glen Smith. “For any munici-pal budget, about 50% is for police, fire and public safety.”

City Manager David Kocu-rek noted “ten years ago, the Beacon headline was the po-lice budget was at $1-million dollars, and here we’re still at $1.1-million dollars.”

“Chief and Lieutenant have taken on more roles and worked to obtain grants,” Ko-curek stated. “We’ve reduced the force by a detective, a sergeant and a part-time war-rant officer - that’s two and a half positions in the past five years.”

Recycle CenterThe Recycle Center also

found itself in the ire of Schul-man, who was perplexed as to one full-time and one part-time worker assigned to the Center, but the facility was open 18 hours a week.

“Even though they’re not open (to the public), they’re still there working,” Mayor Smith chimed.

Newcomer to the Council, Mike Dotson added that the conflicting open hours of op-eration make dropping off of recyclables hard.

“If we want (the center) to

make money, they need to be open,” stated Dotson.

Other itemsAlso discussed briefly in

the full-hour budget meeting were the water fund, sewer fund, the municipal airport, social services, the Palacios Economic Development Corp., and finished just as the Council reached the Pavilion line item of the proposed bud-get.

Next WorkshopThe next budget workshop

will be held at 5:30 p.m. on July 14.

(5.38%) $2,175,162, $2,203,818 (-1.30%) Ganado: $32,378, $45,358 (-28.61%) $261,604, $326,579 (-19.89%) La Ward: $1,238, $1,030 (20.25%) $6,321, $5,762 (9.69%) Palacios: $65,565, $55,543 (18.04%) $356,813, $352,681 (1.17%) Point Comfort: $16,663, $25,922 (-35.71%) $113,984, $149,428 (-23.71%) Port Lavaca: $236,689, $268,459 (-11.83%) $1,612,371, $1,642,132 (-1.81%) Seadrift: $27,846, $16,431 (69.47%) $115,094, $104,732 (9.89%) Sweeny: $59,116, $40,637 (45.47%) $338,816, $257,910 (31.36%) West Columbia: $87,989, $71,893 (22.38%) $482,996, $441,521 (9.39%) Wharton: $179,960, $203,691 (-11.65%) $1,104,822, $1,141,015 (-3.17%).

Page 3: BPalacios Palacios N · PWC COVID-19 Forum The Palacios Wellness Council facilitated a COVID-19 forum via Zoom on June 22, where 35 participants battled through band-with issues,

Palacios Beacon - Wed., July 1, 2020 - Page 3DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAY

DO YOU WANT TO SEE

WHO WAS ARRESTED

& FOR WHAT?SPLURGE ON THE $1 AND PICK UP A COPY

OF THIS WEEK’S PALACIOS BEACON

Individuals listed have been arrested and/or charged with an offense. Inclusion in this report does not imply that the person is guilty of any crime. The following are offense and arrest reports submitted by the Palacios Police Dept. to the Palacios Beacon as of noon Friday.

• Palacios Police Reports •

CASES (Continued From Page 1)

CITY (Continued From Page 1)

The primary runoff election for County Commissioner Pct. 3 is

July 14, 2020.

Early voting begins Monday, June 28th. It is more important then ever to go to the polls and

vote for your candidate.

Precinct 3 needs a leader who not only understands the needs

of your precinct, but who will also provide leadership to get the job done. The candidate you elect will influence

the decisions affecting your precinct.

I strongly encourage you to vote and make a difference Tuesday, July 14th.

Please consider Troy Shimek for your next County Commissioner Pct. 3.

(Pol. Adv. pd. for by Troy Shimek, Treasurer, 23878 Hwy. 35 S. Palacios, TX. 77465 )

RON

PISD TRUSTeePOS. 5

The following have paid to have their names listed as candidates for Pos. 3 on the Palacios ISD Board of Trustees. The cost for the Candidate Listing is $30. The cost for the candidate listing plus a one time candidate announce-ment article is $50. The deadline for inclusion in the Candidate Listing or to submit a candidate announcement article is 5 p.m. Friday.

LAWS[Pol. Adv. pd for by Tammy Hill, Treasurer,

222 Welch. Ave, 77465]

CANDIDATELISTINGS

Land of the Free & Home of the Brave

Sales, Services, and Installations

(361) 935-9798

ReddyMinh T. Thach, Owner

TACLB76938E

HEADERS NEEDED

Bowers Seafood will be heading beginning July

6th at 7 a.m.

Masks are required and will

be provided.

ey to cover expenditures,” McDonald said. “Hopefully, not many (budget amendments) will be needed in September.”

Second ReadingsCouncil approved the second readings of

proposed ordinance amendments concerning ‘nuisances’ and mailbox regulations.

Previously a hot topic during the first go round, an amendment on fe-ral cats was tabled.

Awarding of servicesCouncil awarded the administra-

tive services contract for the CDBG Downtown Revitalization to Grant-works and engineering services to Urban Engineering.

Council awarded administrative services contract for the Harvey Mitigation Fund to Grantworks and the engineering services contract to Urban Engineering.

Council awarded administrative services contract for the F.A.S.T. grant to Grantworks.

ReplatCouncil approved the re-plat of

303 Commerce as recommended by the Planning & Zoning Commission on the 3-2 vote. Against were coun-cil members Dotson and Schulman.

Public HearingA brief public hearing was con-

ducted on the 2019 Consumer Con-fidence Water Report prior to the opening of the meeting.

With no comments from citizens, City Manager David Kocurek stated

the report is done every three years and the City was given “a clean bill of health”.

Approved ItemsApproved were the consent agenda items.

Next MeetingThe next meeting of the Palacios City

Council will be held at 7 p.m. on July 14.

the balls, cards and hopper would be tabled for this year’s festivities, and the carnival and vendor booths would be spaced out in order to maximize social distancing.

Then on Sunday came the decision all in-volved dreaded, the announcement by Mayor Glen Smith that major components of the an-nual Lions club Fourth of July Celebration were cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement from the Mayor read as follows: In an abundance of caution and in consultation with the City of Palacios, the Palacios Lion’s Club has cancelled the major components of its annual 4th of July Celebra-tion for 2020. These components are: Bingo, the serving of Bar-B-Q, vendor booths, games and the scheduled carnival. The only com-ponent that will be allowed to take place as scheduled will be the annual Fireworks Dis-play scheduled for 9:30, Saturday night, July 4th from the East Bay Pier.

This decision was not made lightly and was made only after several meetings with the or-ganizers and taking into consideration the fac-tors for approval as outlined by Governor Ab-bott in his Executive Order. Those factors that Mayors and County Judges were directed to consider include:

• The overall number of projected attendees;• The likelihood of individuals over the age

of 65 attending;• The density of the forum and the ability

to ensure social distancing of 6 feet between individuals; and

• The level of transmission in the county

Even with the cancellation of the Bingo operation, the cancellation of providing the Bar-B-Q lunches and other measures, it was decided that we could not guarantee the ability to ensure social dis-tancing of 6 feet if several vendors as well as a scaled-down carnival were allowed to operate in the limited space available in East Bay Park.

The other main concern in making this decision is the dramatic increase in the num-ber of COVID-19 cases not only in Matagorda County, but the number of individual cases in our community of Palacios. County-wide, on Monday June 22nd, there were 129 positive cases re-ported by the Emergency Op-erations Center. Yesterday, on Sunday, June 28th, there were 175 cases reported with

109 active cases.This sudden and significant increase in the

number of COVID-19 cases in our community is the major factor considered in the decision to cancel all components of the 4th of July cel-ebration except for the fireworks display.

We understand that there will still be a num-ber of people who will gather in East Bay Park to watch the fireworks. However, without the presence of vendors and carnival equipment, it is believed that there will be adequate room in the park for those present to exercise personal responsibility and maintain social distancing.

I would ask that everyone continue to abide by the Texas Department of State Health Services minimum health standards. These standards recommend that individuals should avoid being in a group larger than 10 people including those within the individual’s house-hold. To the extent possible minimize in-per-son contact with others and maintain 6 feet of separation from other individuals. When 6 feet of separation is not feasible, while it is still not mandatory, it is highly recommended that everyone wear a face covering or a mask.

I know that the decision to cancel the major portions of the 4th of July celebration will be welcomed by some and demonized by others. But, I sincerely believe that we must do ev-erything we can to stop the dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Palacios and to work together to keep our most vulner-able citizens in our community as safe as pos-sible.”

However, Campos noted the responsibility is upon the individual to do those things.

Mayor Smith entered the fray when asked if there were plans to order face masks worn in stores and business-es.

“I will not mandate masks,” he said, and would instead, “leave it up to the individuals and businesses.”

Much like the ‘no shirt, no shoes, no service’, Smith noted businesses could add ‘no mask’ as well.

SchoolStill on the job thru the end

of the month, Palacios ISD Superintendent Dr. Missy Glenn took part in the forum.

On the heels of the Texas Education Administration (TEA) Commissioner an-nouncement that school across the state would re-sume in the fall, Glenn re-

ported the TEA has agreed to supply masks, gloves and sanitizer at no cost to local districts.

As for how school in the fall will look, Glenn said there are three options on the table with: business as usual, a 50% capacity plan; or a full on-line platform.

While all options are on the table, Glenn added, “we’re awaiting more information and guidance from TEA”.

Other participantsAlso taking part in the fo-

rum were Mary Jo Neeley of the Robert Duran Food Pan-try, Celeste Harrison of ME-HOP, Dr. Barbara Hayes of Matagorda Family Practice and Anita Crisp of Mid Coast Health Systems/ Palacios Community Medical Center.

Next SessionThe next session of the

PWC’s Forum on COVID-19

was to be held on Mon. (June 29), followed by another on July 6. 4TH (Continued From Page 1)

PALACIOS’ newest addition to the City Council, Mike Dotson (right) in Pos. 6 was sowrn into office by City Secretary Clissa Mills. (Beacon Photo by Ryan West)

Page 4: BPalacios Palacios N · PWC COVID-19 Forum The Palacios Wellness Council facilitated a COVID-19 forum via Zoom on June 22, where 35 participants battled through band-with issues,

DEADLINE 4:30 P.M. FRIDAYPage 4 - Palacios Beacon - Wed., July 1, 2020

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