Lee County Fair Canceled, Again
Giddings Times & News
• The Lee County Fair has been canceled for the second year in a row. After last year’s fair was called off due to COVID-19, the Lee County Fair Association has announced this year’s event, scheduled for May 13-15, will not take place. Fair organizers said they had hoped that this year’s fair could be held as normally scheduled, but they believe this decision to be the right one with the information currently available. Fair officials said they will continue to support youth education through scholarships, and they hope to host next year’s fair with all of its regular events.
The Navasota Examiner
• On March 2 the Navasota Fire Department helped free a horse stuck in a pond. According to the department, the horse was stuck in a tree in the pond. Crews from the department, plus the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office, Navasota Animal Control, and Brazos Valley Equine, freed the horse, sedated it, and loaded it off a sled onto a trailer. He was then taken to the Brazos Valley Equine hospital for treatment and observation. Unfortunately, the horse was reported to have passed away.
• Approximately 100 head of cattle escaped from Navasota Livestock Auction property resulting in two collisions March 8. According to Department of Public Safety Corporal Jason Dominguez, at approximately 1:21 a.m. the cattle entered Texas State Highway 90 near the intersection of Farm to Market Road 3455. A 2015 Peterbilt tractor-trailer driven by Glenn Cook of Wharton was traveling northbound on Texas State Highway 90 and struck the group of cows. The truck came to rest on the shoulder and was undrivable. There were no injuries to the driver. A short time later, a 2006 Toyota Corolla, driven by Thomas Aiken of Anderson, traveling southbound on Hwy. 90 also struck the cattle. The Toyota left the roadway and ended in a drainage ditch near a culvert. Aiken was not injured but a female front seat passenger was transported by ambulance to CHI St. Joseph Grimes Hospital for possible injuries. Dominguez stated five cows were deceased on the scene, but several others were injured. The remainder of the cattle were located and removed from the roadway by Navasota Livestock Auction employees. Navasota Livestock Auction owner Greg Goudeau stated employees left the auction barn at 8:30 p.m. Sunday and the cattle were reported being out after 1 a.m. on Monday. Goudeau said they are investigating to see how the cattle were able to escape. Dominguez said no citations were issued in the incident.
• The Navasota City Council held a regular meeting on March 8 and a zoning change request that would allow the development of a “dome home” Planned Unit Development failed to pass. After a public hearing with comments for and against, council member Bernie Gessner’s motion to approve Ordinance 957-12 died for lack of a second but a motion to deny the ordinance was approved on majority votes. Planning and Zoning Vice-Chair Dr. John Walla said Planning & Zoning wasn’t against the idea but against the location, aesthetics, and size. Describing the units as a place to “crash,” he pointed out that 300 sq. ft. is well below the 750 square foot minimum allowed by city ordinance, and legally they can house only two people. Walla said, “At $600 a month rent, and per square foot, that’s not a good deal at all. It’s not that we don’t see the plight of people that are looking for homes like that. We just did not agree at that time that this is appropriate for what the council has for a vision of Navasota.” Other comments addressed the aesthetics and size of the “Jetson” dome design and the need for new construction for residents in dilapidated housing on Navasota’s west side. Citing the location’s distance to groceries and necessities for residents who can’t afford transportation, Pederson said, “My question is that the people that they are going to be serving, are they served best here?”
Hallettsville Tribune-Herald
• The new election equipment, featuring the election systems and software “DS200 and Express Vote” is on display at the Lavaca County Annex building until March 31. Those wishing to view and familiarize themselves with the new voting equipment are invited to come by the annex located at 412 N. Texana St. in Hallettsville from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A demo election will be installed in the machine that will provide the voter an opportunity to cast a mock vote.
Burleson County Tribune
• Caldwell High School will have a new leader in the fall. Caldwell ISD announced Dr. Justin Turner as its selection to take over for retiring principal Vicki Ochs. Dr. Turner comes to Caldwell with 17 years in education, eight as a teacher and nine as an administrator. He currently serves as an assistant principal at Bandera High School.
The Bastrop Advertiser
• The iconic loblolly pine trees and other signature scenery found in Bastrop County some of which have been featured in popular media are set for even more appearances in front of national and international audiences thanks to a recent state designation. On Feb. 25, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Bastrop County had been designated as a Film Friendly Texas community by the Texas Film Commission, which is part of the Office of the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism division. The commission was created in 1971 to grow local jobs and economies by promoting Texas as a destination for film, television, commercial, animation, visual effects, and video game production. Bastrop County is the latest area set to benefit from this exposure, joining the cities of Bastrop, Elgin, and Smithville, which already have the Film Friendly Texas designation. Bastrop County is now one of more than 150 communities in the state with the Film Friendly Texas designation. These communities receive ongoing training and guidance from the Texas Film Commission on media industry standards, best practices, and how to effectively accommodate on-location filming activity.
The Sealy News
• Sealy’s former city manager has filed a lawsuit against the city and Mayor Carolyn Bilski. The suit was filed on March 4 by Lloyd Merrell, who claims the city and Bilski breached his contract and committed common law fraud, fraud by nondisclosure, and civil theft. The suit remains pending before the 155th Judicial District Court of Austin County. According to court documents, Merrell claims he was unfairly criticized for the city’s recent economic struggles, which he attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. He alleges that the Sealy City Council and Bilski targeted him as the “sole culprit who was primarily responsible” for the city’s drop in revenue, while they questioned past decisions of his that he claims “bore no relationship to the shortfall whatsoever.” Merrell also believes the city council and Bilski reached this conclusion without examining evidence or providing him an opportunity to contest these assertions. In December, Merrell announced he would resign effective February 1st, with the city council confirming his resignation and that he would be placed on administrative leave and paid his remaining salary, along with unused vacation and sick time, through January 31st. The city council then directed Merrell to sign a separation agreement and told him to remove his personal belongings from Sealy City Hall and return his city-issued items. Merrell did not sign the separation agreement, saying the city’s actions had served as effective termination of his services. He demanded severance pay in addition to the compensation through the end of his contract. The city council unanimously accelerated Merrell’s last date of employment to January 5th, which Merrell claims were to “deny paying the entire amount of compensation” due to him. Merrell is seeking monetary relief of $250,000 or less and nonmonetary relief.