Lifestyle

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   If you operate a child care center or family day home, are you prepared for an emergency or disaster? 
   An area of risk management that sometimes gets neglected or overlooked is disaster management. 
   Being prepared for natural and man-made disasters is an integral part of an overall disaster management plan. 
   Questions that come to mind regarding disaster preparedness include: 
   Do we have a plan, and is it up to date? 
   Does our plan cover preparedness, response, and recovery efforts? 
   Can we find our plan? 
   Has the staff been trained on how to use the plan? 
   Have we practiced it enough? 
   Have we adequately informed parents about the plan?
   Are we prepared to evaluate in case of a disaster?
   Do we have disaster supply kits?
   Are we prepared, if necessary, to shelter in place? 

   Bay City got its passing game going to complement its potent running attack in an offensive effort that produced 496 total yards and a lopsided 41-11 score against Edna last Friday.
   This week the Blackcats turn their attention to longtime rival Wharton who Bay City Head Coach Robert Jones said is capable of dealing out problems despite the Tigers (4A-2) two-loss season start.  
   “Edna was determined to stop the run so that’s what opened up the passing game and we preach to the offense every week we are going to take what the defense gives us,” Jones said of the matchup that showcased the opening of the new Memorial Stadium.
   Whatever the Cowboys had intended, Bay City’s rushing game rolled up 324 yards – with 232 running yards and a touchdown generated by senior quarterback Avery Smith – and 172 yards passing.
   Smith was 7 of 13 for 134 yards passing, with three aerial TDs. 

   Tidehaven Head Coach said his Tigers need to build on their 2-0 start this week when they face district foe and cross-Matagorda County opponent Palacios this Friday.
   “It was a great win against Ganado, one I felt we did just about everything to give it away,” Lucio said about the Tigers 28-21 victory over Ganado last Friday. 
   “Our offense has not played horrible, but we can be a lot better then what we’ve shown,” Lucio remarked.  
   “We still make too many mistakes, and have not proven to overcome most of them.  
   “I’d say one thing that I liked about our offense was when it was crunch time everybody seemed to play up to their abilities,” he said.  
   “The last drive had multiple kids making plays for us.  
   “Our defense had a great night also.”  
   Lucio noted that Ganado has a good offense, and to hold them to the amount of yards and points they did is a huge accomplishment.  

   VAN VLECK – The Van Vleck Leopards were looking to celebrate Parent’s Night in a good way, but the Boling Bulldogs had other things in mind. 
   Boling ripped off 35 first-half points and then stopped a Van Vleck second-half comeback in a 35-20 win.
   Things started rough for the Leopards, with a miscue leading to the first Boling touchdown. After a quick three and out, Leopard punter Hayden Pena was forced to punt from his own end zone. The snap went over Pena’s head and was recovered by Cody Schindler in the end zone for a touchdown. 
   The extra point by Jaxson Urbanek was good, and the Bulldogs were up quickly at 7-0 with 10:32 left in the first quarter.
   Boling increased their lead later in the first period. After taking over at the Van Vleck 40-yard line, the Bulldogs quickly moved down the field with four different running backs getting carries. The drive ended with a 15-yard touchdown run by Blaise Hubenak to push the Boling lead to 14-0.

   Lynn Engineering has acquired El Campo, Texas-based architecture firm Ken Shanks & Associates, LLC effective Monday, Aug. 31.
   The addition of Ken Shanks, AIA, brings a full-time architect to the Lynn Engineering team.
   “We are thrilled to add architecture to our line of services,” said Mitchell Carrillo, Principal Engineer at Lynn Engineering. 
   “Ken brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the team, and our clients will benefit from a one-stop shop approach to design and engineering that will shorten turnaround times and align priorities to produce better results, faster.”
   Shanks has been the principal architect of his firm since June 1999. 
   The firm has experience in the Houston metro area with both commercial and residential architecture. 
   Prior to starting his own firm, Shanks worked with the teams at Browne Penland and McGregor Stephens Architects, Inc. and Sustaita Associates, Inc., both of Houston.

   We have all heard the clichés related to cotton in various marketing efforts to justifiably bring a positive impression of how the versatile fiber affects our daily lives but how much do we really know? 
   Coffee shop arguments and historical accounts of how long cotton has been grown in Matagorda County will vary as much as the number of additions one can add to that cup of Joe. 
   Regardless of the specific date, cotton has been a staple of Matagorda County agriculture since the early 1800s and in the global scheme for some 8000 years! 
   Nationally, cotton is a major commodity in 17 states from Virginia to California accounting for significant impacts to the economy far beyond the field.
   The 2018 cotton crop in Matagorda County is comprised of some 80,000 acres in active production. 

   County commissioners unanimously approved the fiscal 2020-2021 total tax rate of $0.42223 and the $27,432,835 budget after a public hearing Monday, Aug. 31.
   That tax rate includes maintenance tax at $0.41850 and $0.00373 in debt levy.
   County Judge Nate McDonald added that the county is expecting over $697,000 in new tax revenue and a 1.27% raise in new property tax values at just over $260,000.
   Commissioners authorized the county’s Environmental Health Department to schedule the annual “Household Hazardous Waste Collection” event from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Matagorda County Fairgrounds.
   “We need to go ahead and set the event even though it might be canceled due to COVID,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner Gary Graham.

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   Matagorda Harbor had a record-breaking summer, a fishing and pleasure boat builder plans to expand in Palacios and a planned propane pipeline is causing property owner concern near Midfield.
   Those topics and more were discussed at the Matagorda County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) teleconference meeting Friday, Aug. 28.
   Port of Bay City Authority Commissioner Joey Sliva told the board about the harbor’s busy summer. The harbor is part of the Port of Bay City Authority.
   In other port developments, Sliva said the Air Liquide plant is under way at the port near the OQ Chemicals (old Oxea) campus toward a mid-2021 completion.
   In addition, the Jetty Walkway at Matagorda Beach remains in the discussion phase, Sliva remarked, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do the walkway repairs.

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