Kolache Catastrophe: Hallettsville & Caldwell Both Cancel Pastry-Themed Fests
Hallettsville Tribune-Herald
• Hallettsville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director JoAnn Shimek said in a recent press release, “After careful consideration and discussion, the Hallettsville Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture Board of Directors regret to inform you that they have made the very difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Kolache Fest. With the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the restrictions that may or may not be in place, as well as the recent rise in positive C0VID-19 cases in our area, the Board of Directors feel it is best to not take any chances, and protecting our community is the Chamber’s number one priority.” The press release also stated that the Chamber will still be moving forward with planning other 2020 events later this year, but they will be on a smaller scale.
The Shiner Gazette
• Several Shiner citizens gathered at the July 6 city council meeting to voice concerns about the recent closure announcement made earlier this month regarding the Shiner Senior Center. For years, residents said, the center has served as a weekly gathering spot and social center, hosting meals and game nights each Wednesday for the town’s elderly citizens. It closed its doors in mid-March as part of the governor’s COVID-19 executive orders, but much to the dismay of many residents, plans were apparently announced that the senior center may be closed for good. The city does provide the building, its upkeep and utilities, but aside from that it has no part in the actual operations of the center. The discussion was not part of the posted meeting agenda so no action could be taken on the issue, but council members said they would revisit it at a future meeting, hopefully with representatives present from its actual operations side.
• Shiner city council gathered in a special-called meeting on July 14 to take the final steps needed for the city to actually sell the certificates of obligation needed to help fund the city’s planned installation of a new water well and upgrade all its metering devices for both water and electric utility customers within the city limits. The bond package, approved by the council in May, will cost an estimated $5.4 million over the next 25 years. Council also agreed to use the new bond package to essentially refinance its existing debt, an estimated $850,000, to take advantage of far lower interest rates.
Burleson County Tribune
• Caldwell ISD Superintendent Andrew Peters was recently named as the Education Service Center (ESC) Region 6 Superintendent of the Year. Peters will go on to represent ESC Region 6 for the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Superintendent of the Year award. Region 6 includes 57 school districts.
• In the midst of a global pandemic and changes for people everywhere, Caldwell has remained consistent when helping a neighbor in need. The Daisy Girl Scout Troop No. 1136 recently introduced their Take Action Project to the community by installing a public donation area for food and other daily necessities called the Blessing Box. It is open for anyone and it is a blessing both ways. You can be a blessing by giving or receive a blessing by taking. Anything that could be used on a daily basis is a recommended donation. The Blessing Box is located in front of Caldwell Dry Cleaners on Main Street.
• Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19 Caldwell’s Kolache Festival has been cancelled. The Kolache Festival Committee and the Burleson County Chamber of Commerce made the announcement on June 30. The news was heartbreaking for Caldwell, known as “The Kolache Capital of Texas.” “The main reason it is cancelled is the health of everyone and also the financial encumbrances that you spend before the festival,” said Festival Committee Chairperson Janice Easter. “All the money spent upfront that you can’t get back. That’s what ultimately cancelled the festival.”
• Former Caldwell High School teacher Jamie Goforth, 40 years-old, pleaded guilty on July 13 to injury of a child in connection with a 2017 incident involving a 15-year-old male student. She was sentenced to seven years of deferred adjudication probation and surrendered her teaching license. She was initially charged with an improper relationship with a student in Feb. of 2018 while employed as a Caldwell High School science teacher. She resigned in Feb. of 2018, just prior to a scheduled special meeting of the Caldwell School Board. The charge was reported to the Texas Education Agency’s State Board for Educator Certification, as required by law.
The Bastrop Advertiser
• The Bastrop County jail reported its first coronavirus cases among both inmates and jail staff. The first case was detected July 6 and reports later submitted to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards show that case numbers rose to three inmates and four correctional officers with active COVID-19 cases. By July 13, TCJS reports show that known coronavirus cases had risen over the weekend to 17 inmates and eight staff members. Just over 100 other inmates have been quarantined or isolated from the general population and seven correctional officers have been quarantined pending test results, according to the TCJS report. The Bastrop County jail was the 36th county jail in the state to report active coronavirus cases among jail staff or inmates, TCJS data shows. County jails are only required to report testing data to the state agency if they have at least one confirmed case.
• Julien White, 23, was arrested and charged with intoxicated manslaughter with a vehicle for the 2019 death of Francisco Sanchez Jr., who was a senior at Bastrop High School when he was struck and killed by White’s speeding vehicle last August, according to court records. White had a blood-alcohol concentration of .185%, more than twice the legal limit. The state crime lab returned the results nearly one year after the crash occurred. On Aug. 10, 2019, White was driving eastbound along Texas 21 in a 2006 GMC pickup, speeding and passing multiple vehicles when he veered into oncoming traffic, according to a police report. White struck Sanchez’s 2011 Hyundai Sonata head-on. Sanchez died on the scene. White told state troopers that he had consumed three White Claws, one Miller Light and one mixed drink, according to his probable cause affidavit. He failed a field sobriety test and voluntarily provided a blood sample to determine blood alcohol concentration. White was then taken to the hospital for injuries he sustained in the crash and medical staff took an additional blood sample. An analysis of the blood sample taken by medical staff, which was obtained by investigators through a subpoena, showed White had a BAC of .199%, court records state. Both Sanchez and White also had traces of tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive compound found in marijuana in their blood.
Giddings Times & News
• Giddings ISD Superintendent Roger Dees has been named the 2020 Region Superintendent of the Year for Education Service Center Region 13. Dees was selected in one of the most competitive years, as the top eight candidates participated in a rigorous interview process. Region 13 serves an area of 17 central Texas counties that includes 60 public schools, 19 charter schools, 17 private schools and institutions of higher learning.
• In a closely fought runoff election for Lee County Sheriff, Casey Goetz was elected with 1,503 votes to Garrett Durrenberger 1,064, a margin of 439 votes. Goetz received 58.55% of the total votes in the final election results to Durrenberger’s 41.45%. This Republican Primary Runoff Election gives Goetz the nomination for sheriff and effectively makes him the new sheriff, since no challenger is running on the Democratic ticket in November.
Lexington Leader
• Two men were arrested on July 4th following a brief pursuit through Lexington. At around 12:45 p.m., Lexington Officer Timothy Terpstra was traveling northbound on Hwy 77 near the 9500 block when he observed a silver Ford F-150 heading south at a high rate of speed. He clocked the vehicle traveling 89 mph in a 70-mph zone. Having failed to comply with the officer’s emergency lights and siren, the truck traveled through town going 75 mph in a 55-mph zone. Terpstra called for backup and Trooper Perez deployed stop sticks, but the driver was able to avoid them. A little further down the highway the driver decided to pull over. Abel Mejia-Bocanegra, 21, was the driver and there were three other people in the truck. A large cooler of alcohol was found in the bed of the truck. Two of the passengers were under the age of 21 and the other passenger, Alfredo Gonzalez-Godinez, 22, said that he had purchased the alcohol. Mejia-Bocanegra and Gonzalez-Godinez were arrested, but the Lee County Law Enforcement Center would not book them because they both had elevated temperatures. They were both taken to St. Mark’s, where they were medically cleared and returned to Giddings for booking.
The Weimar Mercury
• In the early morning of July 9 Weimar Police Chief Todd Jacobs reported that Officer Dustin Trench responded to an ATM alarm call at the Prosperity Bank in the 200 block of N. Center. This time the stolen vehicle involved was left on scene. An undisclosed amount of money was stolen from the ATM. Officers canvasses the area for any videos that might show the suspect(s) and other vehicles that may have been involved. A report was made, but the investigation continues.
The stolen vehicle belonged to someone from Columbus. A similar incident happened on March 5 at the same Prosperity Bank.
The Brenham Banner-Press
• No one at Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has coronavirus anymore. According to an email from the Brenham/Washington County Joint Information Center, there are now zero active cases of the virus inside the nursing home, which had a high of at least 87 residents with the virus at the beginning of May. About two dozen staff members working inside the facility also tested positive along with 24 residents who died after testing positive. A total of 88 Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center staff and residents have since recovered.
• The Highway 105 Brazos River Bridge Project is nearing completion after being under construction for almost six years. According to Bobby Colwell with TxDOT, the project is scheduled to be completed at the end of the year.