News

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
The week before they were to honor childhood cancer sufferers at the first annual St. Baldrick’s Jackson County, the committee got some bad news. One of the honorees, Jackson Caserma, who is currently in treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, had been admitted to the hospital and would be unable to join them.

Undeterred, committee chair Nick Strauss decided they would take the party to Jackson, and made arrangements for not only the St. Baldrick’s committee to visit, but for his fellow fire fighters to join them as well.

“We decided to take St. Baldrick’s to him for the day.” said Strauss. “His fascination is with firemen and fire trucks so we wanted to put a little joy into his life.”

Strauss arranged for Debbie, the pink fire truck operated by Crossroads Guardians of Hope, to make the trip to Texas Children’s Hospital.

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
An early morning single-vehicle crash left one man dead after he attempted to flee Edna Police at the intersection of FM 1822 and FM 3131.

At just after 2:30 a.m. on May 11, 39-year-old Emmitt James Harris, known to friends as 50 Pak, was traveling at approximately 120 miles per hour in a 2006 Acura as he came to the T where FM 1822 intersects with FM 3131, near Edna. Harris reportedly lost control as the vehicle continued into the private driveway of the Lavaca Navidad River Authority, hitting the pavement and skidding to the side, eventually hitting a metal pipe fence, according to Texas DPS Public Information Officer Ruben San Miguel.

The impact reportedly tore the Acura in two, and Harris was pronounced dead at 3:35 a.m. by Justice of the Peace Cyndi Poulton.

The results are in and Jason Hayden and Charlie Grymes have each won a seat on the Industrial ISD Board of Trustees. Here are the unofficial results of the election.
Jennifer Martin 166

Jason W. Hayden 315

James Baker 150

Charlie Grymes 270

There are 10 provisional ballots out, but election administrator Lorie Paul said they would not affect the outcome of the election. A complete story, along with quotes from the winners will be in Wednesday's paper.

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
Three Edna businesses opened their doors to find they weren’t the last ones in the building on May 5.
Sometime between closing time and 8 a.m., a burglar had broken into Hayden Chiropractic and two hair salons, Cuttin’ Up and Mane Attraction.
The salons found nothing missing, but Hayden Chiropractic was missing laptops and other electronic devices, as well as some cash and checks.
Robyn Novak of Hayden Chiropractic said she came in to work this morning to find the items that occupy her desktop strewn about.
As of now, no suspect has been named, and the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information on the burglaries is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 361-782-3371.

Do you have a senior graduating this year? Don't forget our Diapers to Diplomas! It will publish in the May 17 issue of the Jackson County Herald-Tribune. It's one of our more fun sections because it includes a picture of your kid when they were in diapers (duh) and one of them now. Some sure have changed...some not so much! It's fun to look at those pictures. If you look closely you can always see the kid in the senior! Ads are $22 each and the deadline is Thursday, May 11 at 5 p.m. You can email info and pictures to advertising@jacksonconews.com and call 782-3547 to pay. Or come on by! We always love to see you!

April seems to have literally flown by. There are lots of changes going on at the Chamber. We would like to wish Merrill and her family the best and also thank her for all of her hard work at the Chamber.

We are still accepting applications for a part-time Administrative Assistant here at the Chamber. All applicants should have a great personality and excellent computer skills. If you, or someone you know would be interested, please stop by the Chamber for an application.

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture board of directors is currently seeking two Chamber Members in good standing to fill vacant positions on the board. If you are interested or know someone who would be a great addition, please submit a letter of interest or recommendation to the Chamber Office.

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
Geraldine Tobola walked into the Rear Window Listening Room, quiet, reserved, polite. Auditions for the TownHall Players performance of Steel Magnolias were about to begin, and she sat with the rest of the aspiring cast, waiting her turn to read, quietly.
“I’ll read for Ouiser,” she said, almost meekly.
But when her time to read came, the boistrous, rowdy Louisiana curmudgeon Ouiser Boudreaux erupted out of Geraldine, her voice screeching through the room, landing harshly on the ears of listeners. Director Jonel Knuppel audibly gasped, delighted. Where had this come from?
One by one, the stage hopefuls found their voices, and their perfect character. Everybody did so well that Knuppel chose two casts, each of which will have two performances in June.
Knuppel herself will direct one cast, and Shelby Macha will direct the other. The crew will be led by Shirley Schmitt.

Received from TxDOT at 3 p.m. Wednesday: Crews are installing an overhead sign bridge over the main northbound lanes of US 59 at El Campo. This operation should take a few hours. US 59 will reopen after the project is complete.

Also, the US 59 frontage roads in El Campo will be converted to one-way during the first few weeks of May, an exact date has not yet been determined.

On April 21, 2017, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was notified of a spill involving a transport vehicle hauling an EPA listed hazardous waste (alumina concentrate mixture) from Gulf Chemical and Metallurgical Corporation (GCMC) in Freeport, Texas to U.S. Ecology in Robstown, Texas. The load departed the facility in Freeport on Friday, April 21, 2017. It began leaking around Bay City, Texas in Matagorda County and continued leaking through Jackson, Calhoun, and Refugio Counties to the north end of the LBJ causeway (also known as the Copano Bay Bridge) in Aransas County, a distance of approximately 95 miles primarily along State Highway 35 (click here for map of vehicle route). The waste has adhered to the road surface and is not being transferred to passing vehicles. Control measures were undertaken and minimal cleanup occurred on Friday, April 21st.

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
Much was accomplished at the April 10 meeting of the Industrial ISD Board of Trustees, from graduation plans to the hiring of a new superintendent.
The board voted to officially hire Paul Darilek of Stockdale ISD to take the place of Tony Williams, who will retire at the end of the school year. Darilek will begin his tenure on July 1. Also hired was coach Kayla Neel, who will coach at Industrial Junior High.
The board stepped closer to making a plan for graduation, since the stadium is not yet ready to accommodate guests.They juggled ideas like having graduation at a different school, having it in the auditorium and handing out a limited number of tickets per student, or moving the graduation to a parking lot or other makeshift “stadium.”