News

Thu
27
Aug

Farming is in his blood

Submitted by jcht2010 on
LaSalle farmer Lloyd Kulak stands by his cotton picker.
   It’s rare to drive anywhere in Jackson County and not pass a grain truck, a tanker truck filled with fertilizer, or stalks of corn dancing softly in a breeze. 
   Farming is a vital part of Jackson County, aesthetically, economically, and culturally. 
   Harvest time in Jackson County means long, hard hours for farmers, and Lloyd Kulak of LaSalle is no exception. Kulak, who is now retired from a chemical plant, said his days are shorter now that he can concentrate solely on the farm. For many years, he did both.
   Kulak’s family has been in farming for generations – since before his anscestors even came to the United States.
   “My family is from Czechoslovakia, but Kulak is actually a Russian name,” he said, laughing, “It means ‘rich farmer.’ They got half of it right, anyway.” 
Wed
26
Aug

Illegal dumping upsets Edna business owners

Submitted by jcht2010 on
The dumpster behind Kiny's, surrounded by dumped furniture and a shopping cart.
   Edna business owners are fed up with full dumpsters. The merchants, who pay monthly for the trash receptacles, say they barely have space inside for their own garbage because of illegal dumping, and not only inside the dumpsters, but the dumping of everything from bags full of garbage to furniture on the ground beside the dumpsters.
   “The garbage truck does not pick up your discarded furniture and mattresses, so business owners are left to pick up after you,” said Kiny’s owner Priscilla Pryor, “We have taken a lot of furniture to the dump and paid out of our pocket to dispose of it.”
   Not only does it put undue hardship on the business owner, but dumping garbage or any other discarded property in any trash receptacle that is not your own is illegal.
   A common victim of frequent illegal dumping is Helping Hands of Jackson County, where many people throw out old sofas and broken furniture under the guise of “donation.”
Tue
25
Aug

Hospital district will take over EMS for ESD3

Submitted by jcht2010 on

The Emergency Services District 3 commissioners decided to turn the City of Edna's emergency medical services to the Jackson County Hospital District as soon as possible. The ESD3 commissioners met at City Hall this evening. The hospital district board of directors will meet on Thursday, Aug. 28 to discuss the situation. The hospital administration has been aware of the possibliltiy of acquiring the EMS and the decision by the ESD means the JCHD board will need to move fast to possibly adjust its tax rate to fund the additional resources needed to cover the Edna ISD. 

On Aug. 20 the Edna City Council voted to turn the paid Edna Fire Department over to the ESD3 on Dec. 31. The contract with the ESD3 expires Sept. 30.

Thu
20
Aug

Edna council to turn fire department over to ESD3

Submitted by jcht2010 on

The Edna City Council tonight voted to turn its paid fire/EMS department over to the Emergency Services District 3 in 90 days. 

In a 4-1 vote with Councilman Doug Kelley the only dissenting vote, council agreed to extend the contract with ESD3 until December..

Councilman Wayne Callis made the motion which includes no funding for the EFD after the end of the contract. 

ESD3 Chairman Jake Srp said the ESD 3 would meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25 to discuss and plan their next steps.He said he did not plan to go to a volunteer fire department, although with only about $600K in revenue and approximate cost for the fire department at more than $900K, the ESD 3 commissioners will have to make some tough decisions.

The full story will appear in the Aug. 26 issue of the Jackson County Herald-Tribune.

 

Thu
20
Aug

Juvenile detention center funding safe for now

Submitted by jcht2010 on
   Social media is buzzing about the Victoria Juvenile Detention Center, as rumors spread like wildfire that it may be being shut down. Authorities say, though, that is not the case at all. 
   Jackson County is one of several counties with contracts to send juvenile offenders to the detention center when they are arrested. Juvenile Probation Officer Willie Caesar said if it were to shut down it would put Jackson County in quite a difficult spot, because the only other detention center for minors that Jackson County has a contract with is Hays County. Caesar said, however,  he has heard no official word that the detention center in Victoria is closing, and Victoria County seems to be just looking at expenses and figures, trying to figure out how to go forward with a building badly in need of repair, as well as the cost of housing inmates. 
Wed
19
Aug

Final budget to be determined

Submitted by jcht2010 on
   The Edna City Council met in workshop on Aug. 17 to discuss the city’s annual budget. The council has been looking at areas to cut expenses after a $900,000 deficit last year.
   Mayor Joe Hermes told department heads that even though money will be budgeted for each department, they are to consider carefully when spending it.
   “Just because we have a total in here to spend doesn’t mean we have to spend it,” he said. Hermes told the council the city has cashed in six certificates of deposit so far this year. He said a balanced budget isn’t necessarily a good thing.
   “We need a budget that is going to take in more than it pays out,” he said. “We need to have enough operating expenses for six months. I’m asking all departments not to spend any unnecessary funds. Unless it is an absolute emergency – don’t spend it.”
Mon
17
Aug

Commissioner's court orders burn ban for county

Submitted by jcht2010 on
   A burn ban was enacted for Jackson County by the commissioners court at the Aug. 10 meeting. County Judge Dennis Simons told the court the Keetch-Byram Drought Index on Sunday showed areas of the county at 603. The KBDI is an  index used to determining forest fire potential. 
   According to Pct. 3 Commissioner Johnny Belicek, Matagorda and Wharton counties have burn bans in place, along with 69 other counties in Texas.
   Assistant Fire Chief Kurt Janica with the Edna Fire Department told the court the fire department has responded to three grass fires since Aug. 1, with the most recent one on Sunday at CR 283/284.
   Simons noted farmers can still burn if they utilize a prescribed burn, however the Prescribed Burning Board regulates certified and insured prescribed burn managers who work to control vegetative fuels that can contribute to wildfires. He was unaware of any prescribed burn managers available locally.
Thu
13
Aug

Council looks for extra money to fund EFD

Submitted by jcht2010 on
   The fate of the Edna Fire Department is still unknown after the Edna City Council postponed a vote, choosing instead to meet one more time and try to figure out a long-term solution.
   At the Aug. 6 council meeting, City Manager Don Doering said one option that was discussed for a motion could be that the city extend its contract with the Emergency Services District 3 until Dec. 31, 2015 with the intention of transferring control and operations of the emergency services to the ESD.
   At the ESD3 meeting that was held at the August 5 meeting the commissioners adopted a 10 cent tax rate, but couldn’t make any other decisions based on the uncertainity surrounding the fire department funding.
   D.J. Bell, ESD3 commissioner, said he was unaware of the motion being discussed or approved by the ESD3. Jake Srp, chairman of the ESD3, who was not at the meeting, later said the motion was one that was discussed at the meeting.
Wed
12
Aug

Mom holds blood drive in memory of infant son

Submitted by jcht2010 on
   On Aug. 15, 2014, baby Deric Aguilar entered and left this world in nearly the same instant. After a complication-laden cervical pregnancy, suffering placenta previa and placenta percreta, Natalie Aguilar gave birth to a 9 ounce baby boy. He survived a difficult pregnancy, but did not survive labor.
   Even so, she calls him her “little miracle baby who made it through so many things.”
   Aguilar underwent a tubal litigation, while in the very early stages of pregnancy. She believes that where the standard urine test didn’t yield positive results, a blood test would have. Her goal is to change the standard care, and to see a day when all pregnancies are confirmed via blood test.
   “It would detect pregnancy much earlier than a urine test,” she said, “when I had by tubal litigation, all they did was a urine test.”
Wed
12
Aug

Driver killed in morning wreck

Submitted by jcht2010 on
A wreck in LaWard left one person dead and five injured on August 10.
   An early morning wreck in LaWard left one person deceased and several more injured on Aug. 10.
   Just before 7 a.m., Ruben Montalvo, 44, of Bloomington, was driving his 2012 Dodge Avenger eastbound on FM 616 near Espirito Ave., when he collided with an R Transit bus, which was carrying a driver and 17 passengers on their way to work at the plant.
   “For an unknown reason, [Montalvo’s] vehicle veered into the oncoming land and struck the bus, front-left to front-left, and both vehicles came to rest on the south side ditch of FM 616,” said Trooper Ruben San Miguel, the DPS Public Information Officer.
   Montalvo was pronounced dead at the scene by Jackson County Judge Dennis Simons at 8:11 a.m.
   Five of the passengers on the bus were transported to Jackson County Hospital, though Trooper San Miguel said all were in stable condition, and none of the injuries sustained were life threatening. 

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