$18,000 Raised to Move Bastrop Confederate Monument
The Bastrop Advertiser
• The Bastrop County Monument Relocation Committee raised $18,000 after an online concert on Monday evening showcased three hours of music and messaging virtually advocating for the removal of a pair of Confederate monuments on the Bastrop County Courthouse lawn. The concert was part of a fundraising initiative to relocate the monuments to a new home. The virtual event raised $9,000, and with a donation match offer from a foundation that works with Bastrop County Cares, $18,000 will go toward the monuments’ relocation. The “Move Forward Virtual Music Fest” was streamed on the YouTube channel of Grace Pettis, who performed during the concert and helped organize the event along with relocation committee co-chair Cheryl Lee. The concert was a free event with all contributions going to the committee. It featured nearly 20 local and national music acts who sent in recordings of songs along with messages of support for the monument relocation effort. These messages were headlined by an appearance by Martie Maguire of the 13-time Grammy-winning Texas band The Chicks.
The Shiner Gazette
• Three pickups were stolen from the same Shiner neighborhood sometime during the night hours on Jan. 8. Officers responded to three separate reports of stolen vehicles on San Jacinto and Alamo streets. There were also reports of similar pickups taken from just inside the Gonzales County line, all within the same time frame, investigators said. One of the three pickups was recovered on Jan. 10 by a hunter in the Vienna area about 40 miles away from where it was stolen. The door was damaged where the thieves popped the lock and a few of the inner compartment doors were broken where the thieves rummaged inside.
• The Dickson-Allen Foundation presented the Shiner Police Department with a $41,000 grant to assist them with local communications equipment improvements. This will allow Shiner Police to upgrade the mobile radios officers wear as part of their daily gear. Current radios in use within the department have far exceeded their lifespan and they are no longer supported by their manufacturer said Police Chief Zach Kramer.
The Bellville Times
• Former Austin County Tax Assessor-Collector Marcus Alfonso Pena, 43, was once again denied parole by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Pena, who is serving 10 years concurrent in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for felony theft and misapplication of fiduciary funds, has his next parole review date scheduled for November of this year. Pena had previously been denied parole twice in 2019. He was originally sentenced on March 8, 2018, after pleading guilty to theft and misapplication of fiduciary property of a financial institution, greater than $150,000 but less than $300,000. He is ordered to pay back $275,827.87 in restitution to Austin County.
• During the early morning hours of Jan. 6, a Bellville Police Officer was dispatched to the Bellville Shell Station in reference to an assault that had occurred. No weapons were involved. When the officer arrived at the location he was told by the store clerk that the subject had run to Main Street Vet Clinic across the street. The officer located the subject and attempted to detain the individual, but the subject resisted detainment. Local citizens assisted the officer in detaining the individual until additional backup officers arrived. The subject was under the influence of narcotics and was also experiencing medical issues. He was transported to a Katy hospital and was admitted. Bellville Police will be pursuing two charges of assault and one charge of resisting arrest. The individual who was originally assaulted at the Shell Station was transported by EMS to the Bellville Medical Center ER for treatment. The Bellville officer also sustained minor injuries while trying to restrain the subject.
The Navasota Examiner
• Grimes County is grieving the loss of Jim-Bob Trant, who passed away on Jan. 12. Trant was elected in November to serve as Grimes County Treasurer. Trant was hospitalized and died at 9:50 a.m., but further details of his death are unknown at this time. Trant’s mother, Janice Trant, served as Grimes County Treasurer until she passed away on Aug. 7, 2020, as a result of COVID-19 complications. Jim-Bob Trant was unanimously appointed by Grimes County Commissioners on Aug. 26, to fill the two-year unexpired term set to end Dec. 31, 2020. He took the official oath of office on Aug. 27.
Hallettsville Tribune-Herald
• On Jan. 8 at around 12:15 p.m. Hallettsville Police Department was called to a onevehicle accident in the 1000 block of N.Texana St. where an 18-wheeler pulling a trailer crashed in the southbound lane of the roadway. A 2016 Peterbilt truck-tractor pulling a tankertrailer was traveling south when it veered to the right crashing into a water line, cable box, utility pole, and sideswiped a tree. The impact of the collision caused the truck’s fuel tank to rupture and the crankcase damaged resulting in a release of diesel and oil on the roadway. In addition to diesel and oil spilling on the roadway, a live power line fell across the road. Richard Marshall, 48 of Tyler, was the driver and he said he fell asleep causing him to veer to the right side of the road. Marshall had two open wounds on the top of his head and was transported to the Lavaca Medical Center.
The Colorado County Citizen
• A new business opportunity is headed to the City of Eagle Lake in the form of a temporary housing facility for unaccompanied migrant children. At the Jan. 12 Eagle Lake City Council meeting, representatives from Endeavors spoke about the project. With almost 80 jobs, an estimated $7.9 million annual investment in salaries and operational costs, and an estimated $1 million in building renovations, “the City welcomes Endeavors to the Eagle Lake community,” City Manager Melissa Landin said. The all-inclusive, migrant youth facility will provide temporary housing, healthcare, youth counseling and mentorship, holistic support services, education, and more. The company has acquired the former Heritage House Nursing Home building and renovations are expected to start in the near future. Renovations are expected to take approximately three-six months to complete, operations are expected to begin in the fall, and they are accepting job applications for some positions now. “This is expected to have a significant economic impact and will likely be a catalyst for other economic growth opportunities in our small, rural community,” Landin and Mayor Mary Parr said. Letters of support for the Endeavors project were received from Parr and U.S. Representative Michael McCaul. Endeavors is a nationally recognized not-for-profit organization based in Texas with over 50 years of experience serving vulnerable populations.