News

   A total of 84 seniors will graduate from Van Vleck High School from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23 at Burl McKinney Stadium.
   The stadium is predicted to be packed with graduates’ friends, family members and peers.
   There will be golf cart shuttling available for those needing assistance walking to the stadium. 
   Handicapped parking will be available behind the cafeteria. 
   All other parking will be at the high school gymnasium, high school parking lot at the school, and elementary campuses’ parking lots. 
   There is also wheelchair accessible seating available at the stadium.  
   Valedictorian Madison Woolsey and Salutatorian Kathryn Willy will be recognized and will give speeches addressing their fellow classmates and the audience.

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

   Matagorda County Commissioners agreed on splitting about $6.86 million in projected Hurricane Harvey recovery funding among three precincts at the court’s regular meeting Monday, May 13.
   Appearing two weeks after the last workshop on dividing Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding, GrantWorks’ Bruce Spitzengel told commissioners they had to identify Monday the projects to be submitted to HUD, which administers CDBG-DR funding, this summer.
   GrantWorks administers the funding projects.
   Precinct 1 Commissioner Gary Graham made a concession to Precinct 2 Commissioner Kent Pollard – at Spitzengel’s suggestion - in shifting some of Precinct 1 funding - with the largest amount – to Precinct 2 to help with road and bridge projects damaged by Harvey.

   City Council and Mayor Mark Bricker talked about hiring a new staff person at Bay City Regional Airport last week, and little changed from the previous council discussion.
   At the May 9 meeting, Mayor Mark Bricker reiterated his stance that the airport position will be part of council’s budget discussions this summer.
   Meanwhile, council members Jason Childers and Bill Cornman repeated their assertions the additional airport employee is needed to ensure the airport can handle the increased air operations that airport manager James Mason highlighted at the April 25 council meeting.
   Cornman apologized at the meeting for his “tone” at the April 25 meeting on pushing ahead on hiring another airport employee without waiting for airport budget discussions that he said would mean there wouldn’t be a new person hired for several months.
   His comments April 25 were a pushback against Bricker’s point about waiting until the summer budget talks.

   Bay City ISD trustees unanimously approved canvassing the May 4 votes during a special meeting Monday.
   Trustees Jerry Manning, Frankie Cole, Bobby Kimball, and Bob Klepac were in attendance while Edward Nelson and Crystal Allison were absent.
   The meeting began five minutes past its posted time due to lack of a trustee quorum with only three initially present.
   Approved canvassed election results included:

•     In Position 1, Trent Tinnin got 1,176 votes (62.69%) to incumbent Kimball’s 691 votes (37.01%).
•     James Scardami was unchallenged for Position 2, receiving 1,472 votes.
•     John DeWitt won Position 3 with 756 votes (40.89%). Amanda Carlin got 688 votes (37.21%), and Priscilla Ann Robinson received 405 votes (21.90%).

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

 City council discussed a tentative schedule for finding a permanent City Manager by January next year during a workshop Tuesday night, May 14.
   Councilman Bill Cornman expressed his desire to see an interim city manager in place by Thanksgiving this year.
   “We need to get an interim manager in here by Thanksgiving so we can move forward with a permanent one by the beginning of next year,” he said.
   “The idea of an interim manager is to knock off the rough edges now in order to smooth out operations for a permanent choice later.”
   Council agreed that hiring a search firm would be too expensive.
   “We can hire an interim manager as soon as possible,” said Cornman.

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

   Bay City Community Development Corporation board members gained insight and specifics before unanimously approving BCCDC Director Jessica Russell’s seven goals for the corporation May 7.
   Those goals are to: 

   Van Vleck Independent School District recognized and celebrated its employees with its employee appreciation banquet May 9. 
   Guests were treated to a meal catered by The Jay Café and got the chance to view aerial drone footage of construction progress on the new buildings.
   Employees with five, 10, 15, 25, and 30 years of service with the district were recognized during the banquet. 
   Retirees also were recognized and they are: Nancy Brooker, Jeanne Dybala, David Farned and Shelly Ryman. 
   The Top Leopard award recipients were chosen for their service to the school and students, going above and beyond the call of duty, showing dedication and pride in the quality of their work, demonstrating positive human relations, and other criteria.