Central Texas Recovering from Wild Rain Storms

Torrential rains triggered flash floods across Central Texas over the weekend leaving 12 persons dead and one missing. Rains up to 10 inches hit around Austin, where seven of the fatalities occurred because normally dry streams became vicious rivers that swept cars off the roads. La Grange registered 3.34 inches of rainfall during the period, bringing the year’s accumulation to 44.83 inches, 8.41 inches over the year’s norm. On Monday morning, the Colorado River was at 23.95 feet and still rising.

A ruling in the legal dispute between the Lower Colorado River Authority and City of Austin and several Fayette County landowners over construction of a coalfired electric power plant was likely forthcoming within the next week. District Judge Paul Huser indicated he hoped to rule before Thanksgiving on motions filed by both sides. Judge Huser, at an earlier hearing, gave Monday as the deadline for amended pleadings and briefs. LCRA and Austin filed a motion for a summary judgment against the landowners’ allegations that the two entities did not have the authority to enter into a joint venture to build the plant. Austin city attorney Don Butler was quoted as saying the case would be tried before a jury if Judge Huser refused to grant the summary judgment motion.

The Schulenburg FFA chapter was the runner-up winner in sweepstakes competition at the District IV FFA Leadership contest. A total of 32 teams from 14 schools competed in the various events.

The 5th annual International Festival Institute at Round Top announced its plans for the summer of 1975. The festival, which utilized properties leased from the Texas Pioneer Arts Foundation at the historic Fayette County town, had grown from one concert performed by its students at the Winedale Inn Properties in 1971 to 14 concerts and 13 special seminars presented in 1974. The 1975 festival was to offer student studies for violin and cello for the first time, as well as for piano. Appearing for the third season would be the Houston Symphony, along with the Tokyo String Quartet and the Houston Symphony Chamber Orchestra.

William R. (Bill) Lemmons, the son of Superintendent and Mrs. C. A. Lemmons of La Grange, and two colleagues were granted a patent by the U.S. Patent Office for devising a method to make a stabilized solution of concentrated aqueous formaldehyde. The three inventors were em-ployees of Celanese Corporation.

The explosive La Grange Leopards, once more relying on the big play, shackled Boling’s Bulldogs, 35-14, in a Class AA first-round state playoff game Saturday night before 5,000 fans at Victoria’s Memorial Stadium. And again, it was the pin-point passing of Neal Miller, Kenny Hatfield’s miraculous grabs, Johnny Johnson’s sure-footed scampers and a doomsday defense that led Ben Bloomer & Associates’ charges onto the regional playoffs.

A majority of the 32 Fayette County wool and lamb producers voting in a recent referendum approved proposed payment deductions for promotion of their industry.

Stephen A. Murphey joined the Texas Forest Service in La Grange working as a forester in the District 7 area along with John W. Stine, who had been in the local office for two years.

Funeral services were held for: Charlie P. Vasek, 80, of Fayetteville; Rudolphus W. Reeder, 84, of La Grange; Arnold Ewald Bruns, a native of O’Quinn; Mrs. Minne Jentho Noack, 83, of Winchester; Lawrence Edward Watson, 6, of Schulenburg; Ernest Albert Kutschke, 68, a former Fayette County teacher; Cindy Althaus, Callie Bruchey, Jan Georges, and Diann Althaus were the junior high school cheerleaders at Round Top-Carmine School.

Mrs. Lee Roitsch of Tex-Lee Ceramics in La Grange said ceramics was considered the world’s most fascinating hobby. Mrs. Roitsch opened her shop in April 1970 with a small volume of ceramic supplies and five students. By 1974, hundreds of students, ranging in age from six to 72, were learning the art of ceramics. Mrs. Roitsch’s proudest moment occurred when she was presented the 1972 Southwesterner Award in the professional division at the Southwest Ceramic Show in Dallas. She studied ceramics in Newburgh, New York, where she received credits for qualifications as an authorized ceramics instructor.

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