Lifestyle

  Parents and guardians escorted their Van Vleck High School 2020 graduates onto Burl McKinney field Friday, June 18.
   Graduate Jesus Rosas led the national anthem and pledges, while Dalton Wicker gave the invocation.
   Sydney Waldorf presented the class motto, flower, and song.
   In her valedictorian address, Melody Yates urged her classmates to never take anything for granted.
   “Never take for granted what you have because it could be taken away without any notice,” she explained.
   “Always take the time to smell the roses. Take advantage of every opportunity you are granted. Use those opportunities to grow, to add chapters to your stories.”
   Yates reminded her audience that everything comes to an end and that saying goodbyes could be uncomfortable.
   “There is a universal truth that we all must face, whether we want to or not, and that is that all things must come to an end,” she said.

   A variety of countywide events are slated for this weekend, kicking off Friday and lasting until Sunday.
   The Bay City Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture’s 56th Annual J.C. Lewis Live Oak Memorial Tree Sale will be from 1-5 p.m. Friday, June 26, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the H.E.B. Green Space on Fifth and Sixth Street in Bay City.
   Mulch for planting is available on site for $3.75 for 2-cubic-foot bag.
   With purchase, each school-age child in a family will be given a 15-20 inch live oak plant.
   Planting fees apply and pre-orders welcome at 979-245-8333.

To read more, please log in or subscribe to our digital edition.

   Of the three most recent industrial proposals before Matagorda County Commissioners Court, one received a county tax abatement, the other an approved tax reinvestment zone, while the third has made application.
   Readers have asked the Bay City Sentinel about the progress on these projects – and others.
   So the newspaper asked Mike Ferdinand, executive director of the Matagorda County Economic Development Corporation, for an overview on those projects.
   Lodestar Energy got a five-year tax abatement for a $35 million, 227-acre rail transfer station near the El Maton-Buckeye area from Matagorda County Commissioners Court Monday, Dec. 23.  The Court first created a reinvestment zone so that incentives could take place.
   The court vote was 3-1 for the tax abatement that would be 85% for the first two years, and 75%, 50% and 25%.
   Lodestar is still active, Ferdinand said.

   Three weeks of early voting for the July 14 runoffs from the March 3 primaries will begin Monday, June 29 and run through July 10.
   County Clerk Stephanie Wurtz said the two local runoff races are on the Republican side.
   The Precinct 3 Commissioner runoff will be between Steven Johnson and Troy Shimek.
   The other local Republican runoff race is the District 25 State Representative runoff between Cody Vasut and Ro’vin Garrett, both from Brazoria County.
      “Some Republicans will see two elections and another group only see one,” Wurtz said, noting that only Precinct 3 voters will decide the commissioner race.
   The Democratic runoff races include:
   U.S. Senator 
   Mary “MJ” Hegar
   Royce West 
   Railroad Commissioner 
   Chrysta Castañeda and
   Roberto R. “Beto” Alonzo

   I’m pretty sure we’ve reached the pop culture lull between semi-newly released movies and the films that have been out for over six months.
   Still, that isn’t much a personal determent for me.
   After all, I’ll watch any movie that’s rated three stars or higher on Redbox’s website.
   And that’s the thing with “Buffaloed,” it had a solid three stars with several users reviews putting it at 4-5 stars.
   Though the film is marketed as “not rated,” I’d put it in a low-end “R” category due to the amount of cursing and violence in the film.
   The movie clocks in at 95 minutes from start to finish and even then, that seems a little long to get to the point.
   Buffaloed is a comedy-drama film directed by Tanya Wexler from a screenplay by Brian Sacca.
   It stars Zoey Deutch, Judy Greer, Jermaine Fowler, Noah Reid, and Jai Courtney.
   Homegrown hustler Peg Dahl (Deutch) will do anything to escape Buffalo, NY.

   The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff will host a webinar to discuss the NRC’s assessment of safety performance at all Region IV plants for 2019 on Tuesday, June 30, from 1630 to 1830.
    Advance registration is required. 
Register, https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg?do=details&Code=20200708.
   After registering, a confirmation email will be sent with details for joining the webinar. 
   This is a virtual public meeting where participants will be able to see the presentation on a computer screen and listen to the presentation using a telephone by calling in on the bridge number.
Bridge Number 888-994-3819
Passcode 5144346#
   Following the presentation, the NRC will respond to questions specific to the safety performance of the stations and the NRC’s role in ensuring safe plant operations.

Bay City ISD’s Superintendent Dr. Marshall Scott III was announced as the Region 3 Superintendent of the Year (SOTY) Monday, June 22.
   “This recognition is because of the hard work of our students, teachers, and campus leadership,” he said.
   “Great things are happening across our district and I am humbled to receive this acknowledgment on behalf of the team. 
   “In my opinion, SOTY is more about the collective efforts of the organization than the superintendent.
   “You need a courageous board and a community committed to getting better every day. We have that here in Bay City,” he added.
   Scott will join other region finalists for an interview session in August with hopes to be chosen as one of five finalists for the SOTY state award.
   “Here in BCISD, winning is always the goal,” he said.
   “The only place ‘I’ comes before ‘team’ is in the dictionary. Our entire organization models the belief of teamwork.